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The dining shed—soon to be banned in NYC—awakened a sense of what's possible with the city street

Aaron Timms

March 24, 2022 |

The Counter |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, many restaurants in New York City introduced “dining and drinking sheds,” ad-hoc sidewalk structures that allowed patrons to gather outside, where it was generally considered safer. Cities across the country followed suit, reimagining public spaces and their shared use. The spaces also brought customers to businesses that struggled to stay afloat during pandemic fears and shutdowns.

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How Baltimore Escaped the Worst of Covid-19

Michael Ollove

November 01, 2021 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

The city of Baltimore escaped the worst of COVID-19 with high vaccination rates, high rates of health coverage, and strong support from political leaders who cooperated across ideological lines. Medicaid expansion helped achieve relatively high health insurance rates. Officials were also a bit more and cautious in reopening businesses and schools and relaxing mask requirements. The city didn’t escape the death and illness seen during the pandemic, but for these reasons it fared better than comparable areas.

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George Floyd Square COVID-19 vaccine drives target misinformation, mistrust

Susan Du

September 25, 2021 |

Minneapolis Star Tribune |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Though police have removed barricades from the protest zone around George Floyd Square, it remains a popular gathering place for people. The church across from the spot where George Floyd was murdered in May 2020 has partnered with the Cultural Wellness Center to offer COVID-19 vaccines at the square in order to raise the vaccination rate of the surrounding community. The shots are free and recipients receive a $50 gift card for each dose of the two-dose series. While many people have come to get the vaccine begrudgingly, largely due to workplace and travel mandates, organizers are happy for any gains.

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Close-knit community in Port Orford and Langlois, Oregon

Betsy Ladyzhets

September 05, 2021 |

COVID-19 Data Dispatch |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Port Orford, Oregon

Despite its tiny size and modest resources, the Port Orford-Langlois school district in Oregon managed to minimize coronavirus spread among students in the 2020-21 school year. A key factor was the partnership between the town and school libraries. Librarians prepared educational packets, sparing parents from having to scramble for materials. Schools and families dutifully followed safety guidelines while putting a priority on getting the youngest students into the classroom as soon as possible and preserving opportunities for them to play together. There were no cases of the virus spread in the schools.

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Personal responsibility in Andrews, Texas

Betsy Ladyzhets

August 29, 2021 |

COVID-19 Data Dispatch |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Andrews, Texas

Thanks to a trusting and open relationship between school officials and parents, Andrews, Texas, schools kept COVID-19 infections under control when classes resumed in August 2020, even though virtual learning was hardly used and some CDC guidelines on quarantines and masks were disregarded. School officials navigated local politics over pandemic controls by emphasizing personal responsibility while taking precautions like improving classroom ventilation, intensive cleaning regimens, and keeping kids outdoors more often.

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‘Better' podcast shines light on solutions

Allison Frost

July 29, 2021 |

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Taiwan

Taiwan responded to COVID-19 quickly, which helped keep cases low and avoid widespread shutdowns. The country had closely tracked its PPE stockpiles since the 2003 SARS outbreak, has a national health command center to coordinate responses, and uses a well-defined set of procedures to track and manage people under infectious risk or quarantine. Masks are required and provided to every citizen, inbound travelers were quickly regulated, and contact tracing and testing is widely used to prevent outbreaks. Citizens generally listen to authorities, though fines and other sanctions also encourage compliance.

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Germany Makes Rapid Virus Tests a Key to Everyday Freedoms

Christopher F. Schuetze Melissa Eddy

June 09, 2021 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Germany

In Germany, where vaccination rollout has been slow, rapid antigen COVID-19 tests are used to allow people to attend indoor social, business, education, and personal care activities. There are 15,000 pop-up testing sites across the country, many in businesses that had fully or partially shut down due to the virus. People who want to participate in indoor activities like eating inside a restaurant need a negative rapid test that is no more than 24 hours old. The testing centers are funded by the government. While there is no conclusive evidence, experts believe widespread testing is lowering case numbers.

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Wichita's homeless providers navigate congregate living in age of social distancing

Matthew Kelly

June 09, 2021 |

The Wichita Eagle |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Wichita, Kansas

Wichita secured $850,376 of federal grant money through the CARES Act, which it is distributing to homeless shelters and other organizations that work with people experiencing homelessness to slow the spread of COVID-19. Local providers connect with each other to share their best practices for stopping the virus, including taking temperatures, mandatory hand-washing, and mask wearing, and making sure that beds meet social distancing guidelines. None of their clients in homeless shelters have tested positive so far.

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Can ‘Open Streets' Outlast the Pandemic?

John Surico

April 29, 2021 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Many cities created "open streets" during the pandemic, limiting traffic on certain streets to give people a safe outdoor place to relax and play. Which programs outlive the pandemic depends on a host of factors, most especially how community-led the programs are. In Queens' Jackson Heights neighborhood, a densely populated community with many immigrants, closing a major street didn't work when police were at the barricades. But, under the leadership of the community, the daily closure turned into a street party and community-building event that is causing the city to rethink basic urban-planning concepts.

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The detection dogs tracking poachers and Covid-19

Claire Bates

April 27, 2021 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Tanzania

Detection dogs and their handlers can be trained to sniff out any number of problems. In eastern Africa, the Canines for Conservation project has deployed dogs to search for poachers and illegally harvested wildlife products. By tracking poachers from the scenes of illegal kills and finding ivory and rhino horns stashed in warehouses and shipping containers far more efficiently than X-ray methods, the project has contributed to nearly 400 product seizures, higher conviction rates, and elimination of elephant poaching in parts of Kenya. The next frontier being tested: detecting COVID-19 infections.

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