Local leaders are delivering America's communities through this crisis. That's why Bloomberg Philanthropies created the City Hall COVID-19 Update, to elevate the critical information city leaders need to respond to and recover from the challenges at hand.

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How data-driven innovation is fueling cities’ COVID response

As city leaders around the world work around the clock to fight COVID-19, many are finding that their investments in building capacity around data—how to gather it, analyze it, communicate it, and respond to it—are paying off during the pandemic. Here’s how mayors in Lincoln, Neb., Lancaster, Penn., San Pedro, Mexico, and other cities are leveraging their teams' data-driven expertise to tackle the virus and its corresponding crises.

DATA TRACKER

Johns Hopkins' confirmed U.S. COVID-19 cases as of 8 a.m. EDT on July 31.

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES

4,495,224

TOTAL DEATHS

152,075

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

CITY ACTIONS

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

PULL BACK
As the U.S. this week surpassed 150,000 COVID-19 cases, and as many cities continue to experience a surge in infections, city leaders look for ways to encourage safer social interactions among residents.

In Minneapolis, where 50 percent of new COVID cases are among young adults, Mayor Jacob Frey closes indoor bar areas and dance floors at drinking and eating establishments. Hattiesburg, Miss., Mayor Toby Parker takes similar action, while Knoxville, Tenn., Mayor Indya Kincannon urges the county to do so.
Springfield, Mass., Mayor Domenic Sarno pledges to shut down unsanctioned events after seeing too many of them advertised on social media.
After continuing to see double-digit rise of new infections, Gary, Ind., closes city beaches for two weeks.
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser encourages businesses to call the police for help with customers who refuse to wear masks.
As health officials recommend Anchorage, Alaska, return to “hunker down,” Mayor Ethan Berkowitz says he prefers a more targeted response to reduce person-to-person encounters than last March’s overarching “stay-at-home” order.

PAY UP
City leaders find new ways to support businesses and their most vulnerable residents, while two California cities are cut off from federal CARES Act dollars.

Houston sets aside $15 million in CARES Act funds to help small businesses meet payroll, rent, pay for PPE, or increase sales, while Atlanta creates its own $22-million fund to help area small business recover.
Mayor London Breed of San Francisco, announces $15 million in COVID-related funding for schools.
Atwater and Coalinga, Calif., stand to lose access to $600,000 in CARES Act funding because they refuse to comply with state orders to shut down certain businesses.

GLOBAL OUTLOOK

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin says the city has seen a 90-percent plunge in new COVID-19 cases, but still has reserve of 7,000 beds in mobile hospitals.
With the Edmonton EXPO Centre set to close as a shelter this week—and with no alternative plan for the 500 people currently housed there—Mayor Don Iveson calls on the province of Alberta to take action for the city’s homeless residents.
Bengaluru, India, Mayor Goutham Kumar wants to use smell cards to screen people for COVID at local malls, but experts say it’s not a good idea.

Inspired: Pistons in the park

While many kids across the country are still awaiting word on school reopenings this fall, those in Detroit have something to look forward to for the next eight weeks. This week, the city announced a partnership with the NBA’s Pistons for an enhanced, COVID-conscious “Pistons Neighbors Program” that includes socially-distanced programing for kids and families in five city parks. “The city is determined to provide safe opportunities for Detroiters to get out and enjoy their parks, which are key to enhancing health and wellness during these challenging times,” said Chief Parks Planner Meagan Elliott, who added that the program provides free PPE—including masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer—to all participants.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES

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

RESOURCES

COVID-19 Management Metrics for Cities (Johns Hopkins University) Access webinars on using data and this metric set to tackle COVID in your community.
See how social distancing measures may have influenced trends in COVID-19 cases and deaths in every state. (Johns Hopkins University)
Streets for Pandemic Response and Recovery (NACTO)
COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Programs in Ten Localities (Local Housing Solutions)
Free course on contact tracing (Johns Hopkins University)
Partnership for Healthy Cities COVID-19 Response Center (Bloomberg Philanthropies)
Transportation Response Center (NACTO)
Communication tools and resources for advancing social and behavior change (Johns Hopkins University)

CDC'S LATEST GUIDANCE FOR: