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As Louisiana begins the first phase of its reopening plan, some businesses are considering the use of thermal cameras to detect fevers and assure health safety. The only issue? Not all COVID-19 carriers have a fever.
Every state is at least partially reopened, but layoffs persist across the nation and unemployment continues to rise. Even as many are returning to work, they may still struggle to make ends meet.
Contact tracers must fight privacy concerns and conspiracy theories before some residents may be willing to speak to them. “For this to be successful, people have to feel comfortable cooperating with us.”
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How safe is it to make payments at your local government office during the pandemic? Offices can limit cards, cash and checks from changing hands—and help slow the spread of COVID-19—by taking these steps.
States face revenue shortfalls exceeding 20 percent. Cities and counties have furloughed hundreds of thousands of workers. Already, public employment has fallen more than during the Great Recession.
The factors that led to the revival of our city centers will still be there in the aftermath of the coronavirus shutdown: low crime, a craving for entertainment and the desire for physical proximity.
From July 1, 2018, to July 1, 2019, the city saw its population grow just 1.5 percent. Seattle is now sixth for growth among the 50 most-populous cities; previously it had been in the top two for the last six years.
Some believe that artificial intelligence can be a great assist to doctors in these times of crisis, but many are concerned that there hasn’t been enough study and testing to validate use of the technology.
Company president Brad Smith urges lawmakers to include broadband expansion funding as part of a coronavirus stimulus package. As millions are working and studying from home, Internet connectivity is no longer an option.
Bills that address contact tracing take aim at the costs related to testing and tracking COVID-19 infections as states reopen. Others tackle privacy concerns and ensuring tracer workers reflect community diversity.
With an expanded role, they could serve as an efficient conduit between local governments of all sizes and federal financial resources for revenue shortfalls and infrastructure.
Spokane, Wash., received $23.4 million from the federal government to maintain the city’s bus system. But officials don’t think that will be enough to offset the challenges that the public transit system has been facing.
Officials in Macomb and Oakland counties, Mich., have announced that portions of their CARES Act money will be allotted for local governments and small business support. With approval, the money could be granted by June.
Twenty percent of California’s Bay Area residents don't have a home Internet connection, a problem made worse during shelter-in-place orders. A recent bill passed by the House would provide billions to fix the problem.
An unemployment benefits website run by the Arkansas state government suffered a large data breach that left the personal information of thousands of applicants exposed, state officials confirmed.
As schools rapidly transition to online learning during the COVID-19 crisis, there's growing evidence that poor planning coupled with insufficient tech resources have diminished K-12 education for some students.
Rebekah Jones was the architect and manager of the state’s COVID-19 dashboard, which had received praise from the White House for its accessibility. Many now worry that data transparency will be lost with her departure.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded the funds to aid in coronavirus testing and contact tracing efforts. The state needs at least 670 professional tracers, but only has 100 so far.
The state’s computer crashed Monday when workers flooded the system with requests for relief. Immigrants could apply for a one-time payment of $500 per individual or $1,000 per household.
The economies of the U.S., Canada and Mexico are interconnected. Their subnational governments and their businesses need synchronized federal guidance about how and when to restart.
The pandemic is challenging colleges' enrollments and finances as never before. Some may not survive, and those that do will have to consider major changes in their structures and the way they teach.
It's not just angry protesters. Governors are finding their stay-at-home orders challenged in court and their authority increasingly under fire in legislatures and from local officials.
A rally at the steps of the state capitol in Bismarck presents an important moment to revisit the unique federalist form of our republic that Thomas Jefferson and the founding fathers created more than 200 years ago.
St. Louis, Mo., is beginning to lift its stay-at-home orders, but doesn’t have funding to hire many contact tracers. Some believe county officials should help to ensure the virus doesn’t spread throughout the region.
Without Internet access, Viriginians can’t work from home, participate in online learning or even order necessities from online retailers. “Government officials have to wake up and realize the Internet is not a luxury.”
In a 217-189 vote, the House of Representatives approved a package that allows Congress to work remotely amid the coronavirus. However, some members are still concerned that remote governing will erode the institution.
As governments struggle to adapt to the election challenges surrounding COVID-19, a number of states have launched Internet voting pilots. But many experts argue that these programs could easily be co-opted by malicious actors.
Women are underrepresented in technology fields, but especially so in cybersecurity. It's not just a matter of fairness. Women are better than men at key aspects of keeping the internet safe.
The pandemic has generated another round of work by states to craft some kind of tracking app that doesn’t violate privacy rules. Meanwhile, policymakers have turned their attention to cybercrimes and surveillance.
Social distancing has discouraged riders from using public transit, so officials are hoping to encourage alternative transportation methods. But even still, riders need to be reassured that public transit is virus free.
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