“We’ll pull through” – that’s the motto for Barcelona’s path back to normality after the corona pandemic. The city has put up a website to support that route, sharing the latest updates, for example on the use of protective masks, and information about social, emotional and financial support. The website is available in English, Spanish and Catalan
Contact: Marta Puchal
The city of Nice is launching a communication campaign in support of local merchants hit hard by the Covid19 crisis.
‘Besiktas Will Heal Together’ is the main slogan of a campaign this month by Besiktas municipality to help people in the transition to the new normal. The campaign comprises many events such as meeting with psychologists, music concerts, yoga sessions and sports, which will all be held in local parks.
Contact: foreignaffairs@besiktas.bel.tr
As part of its pandemic response Malmo has instigated measures such as a 24-hour helpline and counselling centres; a campaign directed to young people in the age range of 13 – 21, suffering from honour related violence on Snapchat; a follow up campaign on Facebook directed to girls and women aged 15 – 44; and sharing information at local bus stops about where perpetrators could go if they wanted help with changing their behaviour. Read more here and here
Contact: Margot Olsson
As part of its economic support programme, the city of Frankfurt is promoting local shops with a campaign. Posters, print and online ads are being used to advertise local businesses and restaurants, or to encourage citizens to take advantage of the numerous delivery options. The aim is to get citizens and guests to support the local businesses. You can read more here (in German)
Contact: Hendric Fuchs
The city of Mannheim has launched a poster campaign to support hygiene and health measures after the lockdown. Under the title “Mannheim remains cautious – to keep things going well”, the posters promote to open a window to let air in, to keep distance, to wear a mask and to do a corona test when showing symptoms. A fith poster will be available once the corona tracing app is published. You can read more (in German) and download the posters here
Contact: Nelly Saemann
In order to ensure that information and support in the corona crisis can reach the most marginalised and vulnerable people, the city of Leeds is working with a network of community-based organisations to support ‘Communities of Interest’: groups of people who share an identity, for example people with a learning disability, or those who share an experience, such as the homeless community. Since the amount of information and guidance can be overwhelming and confusing, partner organisations act as a ‘link’ to support the flow of information. You can read more here
Contact: Titus Carey
The citizens of Milan can now get the latest news related to COVID-19 via WhatsApp from the municipality, using a chatbot tool developed with Facebook Italia. It follows a similar model from the WHO and is the first testing in a EU city. The chatbot gives information citizens support services during the emergency, reopening activities, public services and worship places, allowed movements of people, traffic and parking, services for citizens with disabilities, how to contribute to the emergency management, health and sanitary measures and regulations.
Contact: Olimpia Vaccarino Aureli
‘Transparency – so that everything that happens is visible to everyone’: that is the motto of a website from Madrid’s city council, to inform citizens about the council’s decisions and actions. A special section now gives access to information related to the city’s measures on COVID19 and data on the pandemic, also informing about public funds and citizen collaboration in the health crisis. You can visit the Spanish page here
Contact: Ana Buñuel
Ljubljana is increasing its offer to all age groups; from working with volunteers to keep the elderly company and offering free counselling via telephone; to digital services for the young and
telemedicine by telephone or other telecommunication means introduced for all.
Further measures adopted by the city include providing additional space for the homeless and working with volunteers from Ljubljana’s firefighter association and members of Ljubljana’s mountain rescue association and civil protection on public communication. Read more here
Contact: Polona Novak
A group of municipal employees with a background in psychology have prepared helpful advice for citizens in areas from gender violence to professional life. Read more here
Contact: Enrique Rodríguez
A new communication platform has been launched in the city by several research faculties, nine institutions of higher education and the city council. Researchers and staff of the Medical School of Hannover share new information on Covid-19 and the current situation in the Hannover Region. Whatch the videos here (in German)
Contact: Theda Minthe
The City of Thessaloniki has taken actions to create a public information campaign, through measures like sharing personal hygiene advertisements at bus stops; social actions such as providing daily meals for those in need; and disinfecting public areas such as schools and municipal buildings. Download the full overview here
Contact: Stella Psarropoulou
With the Easter holidays and good weather teaming up, Ghent finds it challenging to motivate residents to observe physical distancing. To tackle the issue the city has placed 20 large signs at the main entrance of busy places, and has tagged pavements and 300+ benches throughout the city with messages such as: “Walk on: Corona will not take a break either”. Read more here and find out what the other messages are
Contact: Els Uytterhoeven
People in Madrid can search for shops and delivery services as well as for help from different organisations in their area by using a new digital district map. The initiative ‘Compartimos barrio’, ‘We share a neighbourhood’, has been launched by the city council to make trade and essential services visible during the COVID-19, operational in each district. It aims to supply people who for various reasons cannot go out on the streets or cannot cope alone with the confined situation. You can find the district map and read more here (in Spanish)
Contact: Ana Buñuel
Gdansk municipality is now offering a digital space to share all online activities and events. This will facilitate further communication and promotion of local cultural and economic happenings. Read more here
Contact: Malgorzata Ratkowska
Bristol is keeping information flowing about coronavirus and the local response. Internally, this takes the shape of regular bulletins for staff, to make sure that everyone is on the same page; externally this takes the form of a free telephone hotline open seven days a week for vulnerable residents, video updates from the mayor (see them here), clear information in several languages (watch it here).
Contact: Paul Davies
The Municipal Security Service in the German city of Dusseldorf informs people on the streets about the dos and don’ts during the corona lockdown. They also hand out leaflets with the behaviour rules. Read more here (in German)
Contact: Stefanie Nietfeld
In order to regulate the dispensed quantity of goods and counteract panic buying, the city of Dusseldorf has issued a general ruling. Supermarkets are instructed to only give out restricted amounts of goods in order to ensure a steady flow of goods for the population. The regulation follows disproportionate purchases of staple food, canned goods and toilet paper. Read more here (in German)
Contact: Stefanie Nietfeld
Lights from empty hotel rooms which form the message “4U!” – with this, the city of Budapest every night sends a sign of solidarity to other cities that are similarly affected by the corona crisis. The campaign from the Municipality of Budapest and the Hungarian Hotel and Restaurant Association aims to draw attention to the fact that cities and residents can only survive and overcome this crisis together and by looking out for each other and acting in a tolerant and empathetic way. The light and the attention people give each other gives hope and strength to many in this difficult time. Read more here
Contact: Adrienn Magyar
The municipality of Budapest has funded a series of posters and infographics sharing public information on new modes of public behaviour. In a small, public gesture, the city’s iconic Chain Bridge is also being illuminated in white light to honour the work of doctors, healthcare workers, and those helping combat the pandemic. Read more here and here
Contact: Adrienn Magyar
Integreat is a mobile guide for refugees and migrants, used by over 60 municipalities in Germany. The contents of the mobile guide, however, are tailored to local needs and contain local information. In response to the current COVID-19 situation, multilingual information has been added to the guide. The aim is to inform and educate all citizens as best as possible – regardless of their mother tongue and background. The mobile guide is for free and for Nuremberg currently available in seven languages (German, English, French, Arabic, Farsi, Russian and Amharic). Read more here
Contact: Siegfried Zelnhefer
Mayors of big cities across Europe call for cross-border solidarity during the corona crisis. In a joint statement of the network EUROCITIES, they urge a strong collaboration between all levels of government.
The city of Ghent is urging residents to help keep local businesses afloat by buying locally and has gathered together all other existing initiatives to create a portal to takeaways and local places to purchase food online. Read more here
Contact: Els Uytterhoeven
Bamberg is preventing staff shortages in essential industries. Companies can report their HR needs to the employment agency. These vacancies are then published for job seekers to contact those companies directly. Read more (in German) here.
Contact: Patricia Alberth
Gijon has launched a campaign to support the small grocery shops in the city during the confinement period, which are allowed to continue operating despite the general closure of businesses. The campaign informs citizens of the city’s retail stores as an alternative or complement to purchases in wholesale establishments, supermarkets or hypermarkets. The city also indicates which of these businesses deliver at home.
Currently 127 small grocery shops have joined the campaign. Read more (in French) here.
Contact: Enrique Rodríguez
Turku has turned to Google Translator to make sure all 100 languages spoken in the city could be covered to get out useful information about the pandemic as quickly as possible. Migrant organisations, large companies and the Regional State Administrative Agency have helped to spread the word about where to find this information. Read more here
Contact: Mika Akkanen
Actors and artists in the city of Bratislava, Slovakia, have produced a video to motivate people to stay at home and help slowing down the spread of the corona virus. The main message of the film, which had been initiated by the city’s mayor: “Our most effective medicine is discipline.”
Continue reading “Bratislava – Artists call for corona discipline”Small companies and freelance workers in Stuttgart can get help via a new telephone hotline during the corona crisis. Experts from the fields of management consultancy, law, coaching or health offer advice about the virus, hygiene and work regulations and information on economic aid such as grants, support programmes, loans or short-time work.
Continue reading “Stuttgart – Corona hotline for local companies and freelancers”Face masks are handed out for free to homeless people by the Social Care Department and the city police of Brno, Czechia. The city has set up a container to collect used masks which are disinfected and then given out again. Brno provides information on the corona measures in six languages: Czech and English, and abridged versions in Russian, Romanian, Arabic and Vietnamese. Read more here
Contact: Pavlina Sukupova
In compliance with the coronavirus measures, the city council of Ghent, Belgium, held a digital council meeting this week. The 53 councillors participated online from their home computer. It was the largest digital council meeting ever held in Flanders. The city now wants to share its knowhow with other municipalities. Read more here
Contact: Els Uytterhoeven
The Municipality of Ravenna, the Valle d’Aosta Region and Emilia Romagna Region are all putting resources in making relevant information available in several languages to reach out to their communities.
Continue reading “Italy – Translating vital information”
Gijon is thinking about women who live with their abuser 24 hours a day during the confinement. With the campaign ‘¿Es violento? Llama tú por ella’ (Is he violent? Call for her) mayor Ana González Rodríguez calls on neighbors to denounce situations of gender violence they’re aware of. Read more (in Spanish) here
Contact: Enrique Rodríguez
In a personal letter to the people of Stuttgart, mayor Fritz Kuhn calls for continued compliance with the rules and regulations under the corona confinement and thanks everyone for their special commitment. He writes: “The coronavirus has a firm grip on the world, including Germany and our Stuttgart. That’s why we must stick together in our city. ” Read more here (in German)
Contact: Claudia Schulcz
The mayor of Guimaraes, Portugal, Domingos Bragança, is using video communication to inform the 158,000 inhabitants about the city’s initiatives in the corona crisis. Those measures include the closing of schools and public buildings, parks and playgrounds. The city also supports elderly, isolated and disabled people with an exclusive telephone hotline and provides meals to children of health and security professionals.
Brussels is making information about protecting yourself from the coronavirus available in through a poster in 10 languages: English, French, Dutch, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Turkish and Arabic. Other information about actions taken by Brussels-Capital Region authorities, by civil society and by companies, is available in three languages. Read more here.
Contact: Geert de Roep and Antoine Umbrain
Motivating kids to move at home – that’s the idea of ‘Fit with Clips for Kids’, a series of short video clips inviting for jumping and skill games and other movement ideas which easily can be done at home. You can read more here (in German) and find the video clips here.
Contact: Claudia Schulcz
Poznan is working to make sure that people have the best and most up-to-date information on COVID-19. This includes a special website for foreigners, available in Russian, English and Ukrainian, and a special phone helpline for Ukrainians The City opened a special helpline where they can call and ask for help and information. Learn more about it here.
The mayor is also keeping contact with locals through a daily Facebook live video confrerence with live translation in sign language. He presents the most recent news about a situation in the city and actions undertaken by local authorities and also answers questions from viewers. You can see the video conferences here.
Other information on topics like public transport and childcare is made available on a website here (in Polish).
Contact: Anna Aleksandrzak
The deputy mayor of Madrid, Begoña Villacís, announced on Tuesday that the city council has launched a campaign against gender violence with the name #NoEstásSola to give visibility to the suffering of women who live with their abuser 24 hours a day in the period of confinement by the coronavirus.
The campaign seeks to remind victims that protection tools continue to function during the state of alarm. In addition, it will have images and videos on social networks that will include the contact details of the victim care services. Women who are assaulted can leave home to access network resources for victims of gender violence. Learn more here.
Contact: Ana Buñuel
Stuttgart is providing information on the coronavirus and its effects on public life in German, English, Turkish, Arabic, Russian, Polish and Italian, as well as ‘plain language’ for those with comprehension difficulties and sign language. This information ranges from the latest decisions of the city to well-founded factual information. Read more here.
The city has also set up a hotline on coronavirus, which is available from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Contact: Claudia Schulcz
A simple explanation of the coronavirus and how to protect yourself and others – the city of Vienna has produced an animated video especially for kids. It’s in German, you can use YouTube’s settings to get subtitles in other languages.
Contact: Michaela Kauer or stay up to date at @Stadt_Wien
Poznan city runs a website dedicated to deaf people to keep all the citizens informed. Here the city publishes videos about COVID – 19 translated into sign language. Read more here
Contact: Anna Aleksandrzak
The Spanish city of Gijon informs its people via #GijonSeCedaEnCasa – Gijon stays home – about the corona situation. Every day, mayor Ana González Rodríguez produces a video statement which is shared via social media. Read more (in Spanish)
Contact: Enrique Rodríguez
The city of Nice has been using a drone to fly over the city centre and the main roads to enforce the containment measures. Equipped with a loudspeaker, the drone repeats two pre-recorded messages: “Travel is prohibited except by exception” and “Please respect safety distances”. Read more (in French) and watch a video here and read about the public reactions here (in French).
Contact: Jérôme Sieurin
To support artists and other creative workers, Kreative Deutschland together with some funding institutions, such as the Team of Excellence for the Culture and Creative Industries of the City of Munich, have initiated the campaign ‘Don’t stop creativity’, to share information about funding opportunities as well as inspirational ideas. Creative examples are also published on a website, such as a fashion crowdfunding project for home office wear. Read more
Contact: Larissa Kiesel
The city of Bratislava has created a set of simple drawings that highlight key measures to fight the corona outbreak for citizens. The mayor commissioned a famous local cartoonist to draw a poster to inform citizens that has been distributed online and through posters across the city.
Bratislava offers to share the material with any city that needs such an easy to understand material – just send an email to inovacie@bratislava.sk. You can read more here
