Holmes County manufacturers partner with Amish to produce protective equipment

For many jobs across the country, working from home is a fairly easy adaptation to cope with social distancing measures. But for many scientists who work in laboratories with ongoing research, a work from home solution does not quite fit. Labs and universities are finding ways to adapt and prioritize which experiments to put on hold.

As communities work to contain the coronavirus outbreak, the risk for emergency responders to contract the illness is high; but in Massachusetts, departments are putting new practices and plans into place to address this. From changing the way police respond to calls, to creating a backfill system if or when officers are quarantined, the departments are working to keep both their responders and their communities healthy.

Although Taiwan and Canada saw the beginning of coronavirus outbreaks within days of each other, Taiwan has been able to better contain the spread. Using tactics such as integrating "its health insurance database with its immigration database" and using the military to help produce protective masks for medical workers, the Taiwanese government's aggressive approach offers lessons in how to use big data and regulations to stem the spread of infectious diseases.

After an initial shock to business-as-usual, some independent booksellers are trying new methods to get their products in the hands of readers. Home deliveries, online sales, and fundraising efforts are keeping some longstanding institutions afloat, at least for now.

A D.C.-area nonprofit that normally links refugee and immigrant chefs with paid internships at local restaurants has pivoted to directly paying those chefs to produce meals to donate across the DMV area for COVID-19 relief. Using a GoFundMe page that has so far raised almost $9,000, Tables without Borders has begun paying chefs $25 an hour to make 250 meals inspired by where they come from. The program is still in its early stages, but so far they have donated meals to Howard University Hospital night-shift workers, a homeless shelter in Arlington, and a nonprofit that works with Latin American immigrants.

To replace lost business and keep their employees on staff, Tasmanian businesses quickly diversified into new product lines to meet COVID-19-related demand. A camera accessories firm that saw nearly all of its sales to the film and TV industries dry up became a manufacturer of face shields. A plastic manufacturer increased its business by turning out acrylic counter-top protective screens. And a whiskey distillery began producing 2,000 liters of hand sanitizer per week.

The Lee Initiative, Beam Suntory, and Pernod Ricard are three brand-sponsored initiatives that have provided meals and essential goods to cooks, servers, hosts, bussers, and bartenders that are out of jobs because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The organizations partner with local restaurants to provide meals and goods to those in need on specific days and times each week. The programs have reached many in an industry that was hard hit by the shutdown. The Lee Initiative has provided more than 9,000 meals nationwide and Beam Suntory’s Shift Meals program has served about 10,000 meals nationwide.

Local businesses in Northeastern Ohio pivoted their operations to manufacture supplies needed to fight Covid-19 in an effort to fill a dire public need while preserving jobs for their employees. Employees were trained in industrial sewing machines to create masks, gowns, and other personal protective equipment for those on the frontlines. A Small Business Recovery grant allowed a distillery to use its existing technology to produce hand sanitizer instead of whiskey. Face shields were particularly tricky to produce effectively but 30 Northeast Ohio companies came together to create a custom product.

The state of Vermont has been able to keep COVID-19 cases to a minimal, at least in part by focusing on offering preventive protections for the most at-risk and vulnerable – such as the unhoused. The state's response has included "state-supported housing for the homeless, hazard pay, meal deliveries, and free, pop-up testing in at-risk communities," all of which prioritize high-risk populations rather than those who can easily self-isolate at home.

Navajo Nation volunteers combine COVID relief events with efforts to ensure residents are counted by the Census. Working together, aid organizations hand out supplies like food, water, diapers, and “hygiene kits” with masks and sanitizer. After receiving supplies, residents work with a census specialist to fill out Census paperwork. The dual goals of the events, held at reservation chapter houses, are to help residents stay safe during the pandemic and increase Navajo participation in the census before counting ends. A single event can reach hundreds of the reservation’s 174,000 residents.