Zaragoza – Photo festival

Zaragoza is encouraging residents’ creativity during by inviting them to use their balconies and windows as artistic inspiration using photography as a tool to express what they are feeling.
The selected photos will be part of a large collective exhibition that will take place during the summer hanging from different emblematic balconies in the participating cities.
The invitation is opened until May 17th using Instagram with the hashtags: #PHEdesdemibalcón y #PHE20
Read more (in Spanish) here.

Contact: Lorena Calvo

Vienna – Living at the power station

53 employees of Wien Energie, Vienna´s public energy company, are temporarily relocated to power station sites to ensure that people have access to light, heating and hot water during the corona crisis. The colleagues volunteered to live separated from their families at one of the isolation stations at the waste incineration plants Spittelau, Flötzersteig and Simmeringer Haide, as well as at the Simmering power station. Their tasks range from controlling the facilities to maintenance work and minor repairs. Read more here

Choose English subtitles via the YouTubes settings

Contact: Michaela Kauer

Dusseldorf – Rules against panic buying

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

Budapest – Public awareness campaign

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

Cardiff – Extra homeless provision

Cardiff Council has provided additional accommodation at two city centre hotels for rough sleepers and those living in emergency accommodation to ensure that any individuals with underlying health conditions, or who are showing symptoms of Coronavirus COVID-19, will be able to self-isolate.
Residents receive three meals a day and support staff are available around the clock to ensure the provision is safe and appropriate advice and help is always available. Read more here

Contact: Beverley Watson

Bratislava – Artists call for corona discipline

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”

Stuttgart – Shelter for quarantine patients

In order to further relieve clinics, ensure good medical care and improve the situation of isolated patients, the city of Stuttgart is creating over 300 places for accommodation and care as a precautionary measure. The rented buildings are spread over several city districts and are operated by various emergency services on behalf of the city. They can be used by people whose quarantine has been ordered, but who cannot be quarantined in their own homes. Among the first users are refugees and homeless people.

Continue reading “Stuttgart – Shelter for quarantine patients”

Stuttgart – Keeping distance, sticking together

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

Barcelona – Virtual labour rights office

Barcelona has established, through its local development agency, Barcelona Activa, the on-line and telephone labour right office network to respond to question launched by employees and employers who need to know how to deal with the consequences of the lockdown in their economic activity.

This network of labour rights offices, located in three different districts of the city, was  launched by Barcelona Activa in 2017 as a labour market policy’s tool in partnership with the main unions and some employees’ organisations and was included in a Best practices dossier by the United Nations monitoring committee of the SDGs. More information (in Spanish) here.

Contact: Marta Puchal

Milan – Three levels of special action

The city of Milan has implemented a range of responses to coronavirus, organised around three levels. Current measures range from the suspension of access restrictions for certain types of vehicles to specific measures for waste collection. For example, the city has invested in disinfecting street containers where waste is collected and in an extra disinfection and sanitation of city streets. Read more here

Contact: Olimpia Vaccarino Aureli

Nice – Drone informs people to follow containment rules

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