Local leaders will deliver America's communities through this crisis. That's why Bloomberg Philanthropies created the City Hall Coronavirus Daily Update, to elevate the critical information city leaders need to respond to and recover from the challenges at hand.

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Messaging for a protest: What America’s mayors are saying   

The protests that have broken out in hundreds of cities across the country have put mayors in a tricky position. While most welcome the demonstrations—and many are even participating in them—mayors need to do so while reminding residents that it's nearly impossible to stay socially distanced in the crowds that are filling America's streets, parks, and plazas. Here's how 13 of the country's mayors—from Albany, N.Y. to Washington, D.C.—are threading that needle in press conferences, public statements, and webcasts. 

LATEST CITY ACTIONS

A roundup of responses to the coronavirus crisis. See the
COVID-19: Local Action Tracker for more.

• New York City officials announce safety measures for public transit for when the city begins reopening, such as equipping stations with hand sanitizer and social-distancing markers. 

• Mayor Quinton Lucas of Kansas City, Mo., announces that at least 200 cases of COVID-19 are tied to an outbreak at a paper-products plant, adding that the health department will follow up with contact tracing. 
• Mayor Sam Liccardo of San Jose, Calif., clarifies that National Guard troops that have been deployed to his city are there to help deliver food among the COVID-19 pandemic, and not to help with policing.
• Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett reminds residents that “COVID-19 does not allow for exemptions,” urging them to wear masks and practice social distancing if they choose to attend protests.

• Boston Mayor Marty Walsh directs $5 million to a relief fund for renters, on top of a $3-million contribution in April.
• Fort Worth, Texas, Mayor Betsy Price partners with tech startup Linear Labs, attracting the firm with a $70 million grant for research and development. She adds that she wants to create “more of these creative, innovative financing packages to attract the level of businesses we’ll need to restore the level of jobs we’ve lost” due to COVID-19. 
• Nashville, Tenn., Mayor John Cooper’s budget, which includes substantial tax hikes to make up for lost revenue during lockdown, passes after a marathon 11-hour council meeting.

• El Paso, Texas, Mayor Dee Margo meets with Juarez, Mexico, Mayor Armando Cabada to ensure cooperation and coordination in the response to COVID-19 across the border. 
• Duluth, Minn., asks 500 staff to take 18 unpaid days off over the next year and a half as it tries to close a $38-million budget shortfall. 
• A judge in Lucas County, Ohio, blocks Maumee Mayor Richard Carr’s decision to lay off six paramedics to help fill a budget deficit. 

• The Seattle City Council unanimously requires third-party food delivery apps such as Instacart and Doordash to give workers paid sick days.
• As Mesa, Ariz., Mayor John Giles kicks off the annual Mesa Hydration Donation Drive, he stresses that the desert community’s need for donated bottled water is greater than ever this year.  

• New York City expands COVID-19 testing to all residents, regardless of symptoms. Additionally, the city now employs 1,700 contact tracers.

• Mayor Marcelo Crivella of Rio de Janeiro thanks China for donating medical equipment, including ventilators. Rio de Janeiro has the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in Brazil.
• Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon predicts the pandemic will trigger a technological boom.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES

• Join Mitch Landrieu, E Pluribus Unum, and the Bookings Metropolitan Policy Program for a webinar on the role local leaders play in charting pathways to stabilization and recovery so that small-, women-, and black-owned businesses can flourish in a post-COVID-19 world. The event is today, at 2 p.m. EDT. Register here. 
• Join NACTO for a webinar on the ways cities and businesses are adjusting their approaches to freight traffic and curbside management in the midst of a pandemic-fueled boom in deliveries. The event is today at 2 p.m. EDT. Register here.

• Resources for mayors (African American Mayors Association)
• Free course on contact tracing (Johns Hopkins University)
• Contact tracing Q&A (Johns Hopkins University)
• Open data resources for local government leaders (Harvard Kennedy School)
• COVID Racial Dataset (The COVID Tracking Project)
• Local Action Tracker (National League of Cities)
• Testing Insights Initiative (Johns Hopkins University)
• Communications Module for city hall comms teams (Bloomberg Philanthropies)
• Partnership for Healthy Cities COVID-19 Response Center (Bloomberg Philanthropies)
• City Fiscal Tracker and Federal Reimbursement Initiative (US Conference of Mayors)
• Transportation Response Center (NACTO)
• Communication tools and resources for advancing social and behavior change (Johns Hopkins University)
• Info on which states are breaking down COVID-19 data by race. (Johns Hopkins University)
• What mayors need to know (US Conference of Mayors)

• Staffing resources
• Guidance for higher education institutions
• Employer information for office buildings
• Considerations for reopening restaurants and bars
• Activities and initiatives supporting COVID-19 response and the president's plan for opening America up again
• Considerations for reopening schools
• Considerations for public pools
• Contact tracing staffing, operations and metrics for success
• Disaster shelters during the pandemic
• Communities, schools, workplaces & events
• Contact tracing resources

• GLG is offering pro bono access to its expert platform for non-profits, foundations, and social enterprises on the frontlines of COVID-19 response.
• GrantWatch is a search engine connecting non-profits and small businesses to grant opportunities. 
• U.S. Digital Response offers experienced, pro bono technology teams to local and state governments to assist with COVID-19 projects.
• Inc. has curated a list of tools, resources, and financial help for businesses. 
• Financial assistance for bar employees. 
• One Fair Wage is providing cash assistance to tipped and service workers through a new support fund.