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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Lead by example: How cities are innovating to tackle COVID-19

Now that city leaders have six months of the COVID crisis behind them, they'll undoubtedly begin to look beyond the emergency at hand to ask, "How can cities better prepare for unthinkable, unimaginable, and virtually unprecedented events like the coronavirus pandemic?" Many of the answers to that question can be found in the examples of the fast-acting and sure-footed responses in cities that, long before any of us had ever heard of COVID-19, committed to support innovation teams that are well versed in the ways data, human-centered design, experimentation, and collaboration can help tackle some of cities’ greatest challenges.

DATA TRACKER

Johns Hopkins' confirmed U.S. COVID-19 cases as of 8 a.m. EDT on August 7.

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES

4,883,657

TOTAL DEATHS

160,104

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.

SLOWING THE SPREAD
As the number of new cases slow in cities that were once virus hotspots, mayors stress precautions—wearing masks and social distancing—to ensure case numbers continue to decline. In cities where case numbers have remained low for weeks, mayors are extending mandates and issuing new orders to ensure cities can remain open.

Augusta, Ga., Mayor Hardie Davis Jr., extends the city’s mask mandate through the first week of September and says the city will begin to cite residents who do not follow the order.
As cases increase across Hawaii, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell updates the order prohibiting outdoor and indoor social gatherings with more than 10 people and considers closing certain activities and businesses to slow the spread of the virus.
New York City sets up checkpoints at bridges and tunnels to help enforce the mandatory two-week quarantine order for people traveling from states with high infection rates.
As the number of hospitalizations and new cases drop in San Francisco, the city urges residents to continue to wear face masks and physically distance.
St. Petersburg, Fla., Mayor Rick Kriseman says the city will to enforce its mask mandate for the foreseeable future, even as case numbers decrease.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer says he doesn’t see how bars can safely reopen until a COVID-19 vaccine is developed.
While Bend, Ore., remains a popular travel and vacation destination, the city issues new operating regulations for short-term rentals and lodging properties.

OFFERING RELIEF
Months into the pandemic, even as some cities open back up, businesses and residents are struggling. Mayors are moving quickly to provide funds and initiatives to offer much needed relief.

In a bi-partisan letter to President Donald J. Trump, 290 mayors request $250 billion in direct, flexible emergency assistance to cities of all sizes in the COVID-19 response and recovery bill currently under negotiation.
Using federal aid from the CARES Act, Jacksonville, Fla., adds $2 million into its small business relief fund and $1 million dollars into its relief program for senior residents and people with disabilities.
San Diego's city council votes to allow gyms, hair salons, and houses of worship to operate outdoors in private parking lots.
Albuquerque, N.M., sets aside $500,000 to help local businesses expand outdoor dining.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says the city will begin providing COVID-19 testing for all essential employees.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed offers needed relief for businesses by deferring monthly dues until next year.

GLOBAL OUTLOOK

Should a second wave of COVID-19 hit in the coming months, the Finnish government is working with cities to develop tailored solutions that can allow cities to shutdown instead of the entire country.
Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the Netherlands’ two most populous cities, have issued orders requiring residents to wear masks.
While France requires masks in all indoor public spaces, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is working to maintain masks for outdoor public spaces where large numbers of people gather.

Mayor Karen Alexander: In her own words

Because crises don’t wait their turn, city leaders everywhere—including in Salisbury, N.C.—have had to find creative ways to manage the many issues that have unfolded in the wake of COVID-19. When the murder of George Floyd sparked violence at a protest around a Confederate statue in Salisbury, Mayor Karen Alexander enlisted her residents’ help in finding a solution. Together they decided to move the monument from the center of town to a cemetery. “We do it in a respectful way that is peaceful and lawful, and respects the very broad perspective of our community,” Alexander says in this video. “And I’m very proud of my community for that.”

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

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES

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

EVENTS

DEADLINE TODAY Join the city of Seattle, U.S. Digital Response, and What Works Cities for a discussion-based virtual panel to learn how Seattle used human-centered design to increase COVID-19 testing for its nearly 1 million residents. The event is today at 4:00 p.m. EDT. Register here.
Join Apolitical for a free online masterclass in inspiring public-sector innovations during COVID-19. Speakers include Stephanie Wade, lead for innovation and design at Bloomberg Philanthropies, as well as leaders from innovation teams in Baltimore, Seattle, and Toronto. The class is on Tuesday, August 11 at 11 a.m. EDT. Register here.

RESOURCES

NEW COVID-19 Crisis Leadership Essentials for Mayors (Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative and Johns Hopkins University)
NEW Answers to Mayors' Top Questions (Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative and Johns Hopkins University)
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: