Tourism in time of pandemic. How the Safar Project opened minds and borders

Singapore's aggressive pandemic response in conjunction with strict university rules has helped keep campuses free of COVID-19 cases so far. As a country, free testing and medical care has ensured that positive cases can be isolated quickly, while at the university level, the use of technology, zoning rules, and penalties for those who do not comply have worked to safeguard public health.

Stranded overseas for more than half a year by border closings because of the pandemic, Australians flocked to a new mapping tool that tells the story of their plight. Remove the Cap website attracted more than 600 users in more than 30 countries in just its first week online, all of whom posted their photo and the story of their inability to return home. It’s too soon to tell if the site can succeed in easing the government’s cap on the number of returnees, but in the meantime it provides a platform for frustrated citizens who want their stories told.

Taiwan has recorder fewer than 500 cases of COVID-19, and it is largely due to the country's reliance on "digital platforms to keep the public updated about medical supply availability and to monitor the status of quarantining citizens." From strict quarantine protocols – that include both monetary incentives and consequences – to a crowdsourcing app that shows mask availability, technology is driving much of Taiwan's response.

By leveraging technology, the tourism industry can continue to generate interest in faraway destinations. Even as much of the world’s population restricts travel, the Faroe Islands are keeping would-be tourists engaged by reaching tens of thousands of people via webcam. The would-be tourists can live-stream tours via helmet webcams worn by guides, an initiative also intended to generate future interest in physical visits.

The quarantines and shelter-in-place orders that many cities in the United States are enacting today to combat the coronavirus pandemic can be compared to similar tactics taken in 1918 to stop the spread of influenza pandemic. However, with modern-day technology, churches in particular are finding that they are better able to safely reach their members through the use of video conferencing rather than door-to-door visits. For a Los Angeles church, this is part of a comprehensive approach that aims to abide by social distancing requirements while still helping those in need.

Though the type of government, whether democratic or authoritarian, seems to matter little in who is faring the best against the coronavirus pandemic, the more successful countries do tend to be situated in East Asia. South Korea has emerged especially successful, as private citizens have developed apps to aid the government in contact tracing methods. The country also had an extensive digital infrastructure in place after the dangerous 2015 MERS outbreak.

Governments across the world are using data from cell phones to better track the movement of those under quarantine restrictions during coronavirus. While each country using this containment strategy is implementing it in different ways, the information shared is kept anonymous but, in some cases, grants the greater public access to movements of individuals to know where possible contagions may have occurred.

Quick Response (QR) codes have become a popular way to conduct contactless business, and even contact tracing, during the coronavirus pandemic. Restaurants and retail stores allow customers to order and pay by scanning the codes with their smart devices, which pulls funds from payment accounts like PayPal, or their bank account, debit, or credit card. Public health agencies in the UK display QR codes that people can scan to “check in” and if someone tests positive for Covid-19 at that location people who scanned the code within 21 days are notified. QR codes hold massive amounts of data reliably and cheaply.

The death toll and infection rate from the coronavirus pandemic have been extravagant in the U.S., especially compared to that of other countries. The difference is largely explained in how different governments handled the early days of the pandemic. In many African nations – such as Senegal, which has been touted as having one of the best COVID-19 responses – "leadership, disaster preparedness, conformity to scientific advice, and coherence in pandemic response strategies" have played a significant role in the outcomes.

A collaboration between Ohio's Wooster City Schools and the College of Wooster has allowed for an enhanced educational experience for many students during the coronavirus pandemic. The partnership not only provides tutoring services to the K-12 students but has also "strengthened the bond between the college and its surrounding community."