Understanding what works: How some countries are beating back the coronavirus

Philadelphia's criminal justice system is overwhelmed. New York is allowing judges to release low-risk defendants accused of non-violent crimes with the goal of saving money, reducing prison overcrowding, and cutting down on prison violence.

Two years after the fall of the Rana Plaza killed more than 1,000 garment workers, “More than 200 clothing brands have pledged to make their source factories safer under two international agreements called the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety and the non-binding Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety.” The accident also led to the government employing more safety inspectors, and an increase in unions.

In Mancos, Colorado, the school board voted “no” to arming school staff in the traditionally Western town. Across the United States, the question of arming teachers is being brought up as a response to the increase in school shootings. The policy is highly contested, with some saying it provides students with a feeling of safety, but others saying the risks associated are too high. For the Mancos community, such a vote is a surprise given the town’s gun-friendly history, but is explained by the increase in new residents.

Rather than send local residents to city-run testing sites in the East Bay of California, clinics in East Oakland are now running their own testing sites to better serve their community. Although one of the sites has already tested nearly 100 people and residents who are underinsured or uninsured can be tested for free, some believe the effort should have started much sooner.

신종 코로나바이러스 확산 초기, 마스크 대란에 대처하기 위해 대만 정부는 '마스크 실명제', '마스크 맵' 서비스 등을 주도적으로 시행하며 위기에 적극적으로 대응하는 모습을 보여주었습니다.

진단 제품 긴급사용승인제도, 선별진료 및 드라이브스루 진료, 정확도 높은 검사법 채택 등을 통해 한국은 단시간 내에 기록적인 양의 코로나19 검사를 시행할 수 있었습니다.

The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) protects states from having to fund federal laws. Prior to its passage, Congress passed bills without worrying about how to fund them, leaving states, cities, and counties to pay for federal mandates. Though UMRA has not been foolproof, 185 unfunded mandates were passed in 1993 before the law was passed and only 15 laws that violate UMRA limits were enacted between 1996 and 2018. Congress is not required to fund the whole bill, which means localities can still be required to pay significant amounts for federally mandated laws.

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.

Following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, access to safe, legal abortion in the U.S. is scarce. While several states have banned mifepristone and misoprostol — the two drugs that makeup abortion pills — misoprostol, which has been found to be the more effective of the two, can still be accessed at some pharmacies and through nonprofits in the U.S. and overseas like Plan C and Aid Access.

Ukosefu wa maji katika wadi la Makima ilikuwa inalazimisha wakaazi kwenda masafa marefu kama kilomita tano kuyatafuta. Mmoja wapo wa hatari wa safari iyo ilikuwa kuliwa na mamba ambao walikuwa wanapatikana kwenye bwawa la maji. Lakini mradi wa kuleta maji karibu na wakaazi kupitia kuweka matangi katika soko mbali mbali yameondoa tatizo la maji na hatari iyo ya mamba.