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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How cities are using ‘streateries’ to help restaurants recover

As cities gradually reopen, restaurants may become one of the most visible signs of the comeback. That’s because a growing number of cities, from Cincinnati to Orlando, are letting restaurants serve customers in a very public place: right in the street. The strategy is aimed at giving these businesses a better shot at recovery. By letting them take over parking lanes or even roadways closed to traffic, cities are making it possible for restaurants to boost customer capacity while keeping tables at least six feet apart for physical distancing. Here’s how they’re doing it.

DATA TRACKER

Johns Hopkins' confirmed U.S. COVID-19 cases as of 8 a.m. EDT on May 28.

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES

1,699,933
(up 18,515 from May 27)

TOTAL DEATHS

100,442
(up 1,513 from May 27)

Find more up-to-date case counts and other critical information from the Johns Hopkins University's situation report and interactive map.

L.A. looks to use data to help residents make safer choices

As Americans venture out again—whether it's to shop, eat, or visit parks—they’re doing so without much information to go on. Is it safer to go to this beach or that hiking trail? There’s no way to know. Los Angeles has teamed up with a community of data-science professionals to change that. Together, they’ve launched a new challenge program where university teams, civic hackers, city data geeks, and others compete for cash by building tools that can help L.A. residents make safer choices about which locations they choose to visit.

LATEST CITY ACTIONS

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

CLOSINGS, OPENINGS & SOCIAL DISTANCING

Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C., officially signs an order lifting the district’s stay-at-home policy, effective Friday. She hinted at the reopening late last week but noted that it was contingent on a continuous decline in new cases.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego vows to make “metric-driven” decisions in reopening city facilities. The announcement comes after Arizona Governor Doug Ducey lifted most restrictions on businesses and public lands.
Cheyenne Frontier Days is cancelled for the first time in 124 years. The annual event typically brings 140,000 visitors to the Wyoming city of 60,000.
Rapid City, S.D., shuts down its public transit for two weeks after a third bus driver tests positive for COVID-19.

COMMUNICATIONS

Mayor Jim Lane of Scottsdale, Ariz., says that he will personally reach out to businesses that hosted large crowds over Memorial Day weekend to educate them about social distancing and solicit their cooperation.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney says that city officials should “continue to talk to people and communicate” rather than arresting those who violate social distancing guidelines.

ECONOMIC CHALLENGES

New York City, which faces a $9-billion budget deficit because of revenue shortfalls and COVID-related expenses, calls on the U.S. Senate to pass the House’s coronavirus aid package.
Mayor Eric Johnson of Dallas unveils a new assistance program for small business owners. Each business can request up to $25,000 in aid from the city government.

VULNERABLE POPULATIONS

Jacksonville, Fla., Mayor Lenny Curry announces a phased reopening of city pools, as well as a free summer camp program for children of low-income families.

TESTING & MEDICAL

San Antonio, Texas, holds a supply pick-up day, allowing local business owners and faith leaders to collect free non-contact thermometers, hand sanitizer, and face masks.
Detroit extends free COVID-19 testing to all residents of southeastern Michigan as positive cases among suburban residents surpasses those in the city.

GLOBAL OUTLOOK

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon will deliver the opening address in next week’s World Mayors Summit, where global city officials will discuss their responses to COVID-19.
Anticipating the crush of the annual July 1 “moving day,” Montreal opens hotels booked for the COVID-19 crisis to anyone without a roof. The city will also allow people to store belongings in municipal buildings.

Mayor Melvin Carter: In his own words

If you would have told St. Paul, Minn., Mayor Melvin Carter four months ago that city librarians would be sewing homemade masks and fire fighters would be helping process applications for emergency aid, he might have thought you’d lost your mind. “We’re seeing just deeper levels of need than ever before,” Mayor Carter explains in this video. “We’re having to meet those needs, and that’s requiring, in a way, all of us sort of throwing out our job descriptions.” COVID-19 has pushed the city to be more creative and innovative than ever before. It’s also brought about renewed focus on the future. “Our commitment is to thinking about not recovery, but reconstruction,” Carter says. “About reconstructing the way our whole economy works and the way people can access it and participate in it.”

How has your city innovated in response to the COVID-19 crisis? We’d love to know. Post a selfie video like Mayor Carter’s and tag @BloombergCities.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES

Find more COVID-19 resources for city leaders here. Please suggest new resources to include here.

EVENTS

Join What Works Cities for a two-part webinar series on how cities can avoid over-reliance on fines and fees—which harm economically vulnerable communities—as they close budget gaps caused by COVID-19. The first session is Wednesday, June 3 at 3 p.m. EDT. Register here.
Join Bloomberg Philanthropies for a three-part web series that presents challenges, strategies, and opportunities in addressing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic. The final session is Wednesday, June 3 at 1 p.m. EDT. Register here.

RESOURCES

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 Projec t)
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)

CDC'S LATEST GUIDANCE FOR:

GIFTS & GRANTS

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.