IT responders keep government at work
Help-desk requests, connectivity issues and security concerns grow as agencies adapt to telework, a new survey of state and local CIOs shows.
Can your community handle a natural disaster and coronavirus at the same time?
Current playbooks for responding to a tornado or a hurricane likely don’t include the need to consider social distancing in emergency shelters or how to get help from other states when a widespread health crisis is underway.
EAC takes heat from states for hold-up on voting machine standards
State election officials say they have been waiting years for Election Assistance Commission to approve the newest version of technical and security standards.
Bill would fund unemployment IT modernization, portable benefits
The Emergency Benefits for Independent Workers Program Act would establish an emergency portable benefits fund for states to use for unemployed workers and to help modernize their IT systems.
How pandemic response amplifies state cyber challenges
The additional responsibilities state and local IT shops have taken on in the wake of the pandemic have stretched their already thin resources, but the work administering hundreds of federal programs may finally open the door for federal cybersecurity funding.
The Problem With Stories About Dangerous Coronavirus Mutations
There’s no clear evidence that the pandemic virus has evolved into significantly different forms—and there probably won’t be for months.
Economic Blow Of The Coronavirus Hits America’s Already Stressed Farmers
The pandemic has decimated agricultural markets.
Coronavirus Could Revolutionize Work Opportunities for People with Disabilities
COMMENTARY | Employers are currently making accommodations to allow many employees to work from home. In the future, could they extend the same flexibility to people with disabilities?
States, USDA Launch Programs Help Farmers Sell Excess Produce
With restaurants and schools closed, farmers lost their traditional markets for fresh produce. New state and federal programs hope to connect excess supply with the demand, including at food pantries across the country.
‘There Could Be a Point Where I Say This Isn’t Worth It’: Two State Lawmakers Reflect On Their New Workplace Concerns
For some legislators, the coronavirus is raising questions about the environment where they work, from health precautions in Louisiana to armed protesters in Michigan.
School Districts Deploy WiFi-Equipped Buses to Expand Broadband Access for Students
School districts across the country are sending buses with WiFi to neighborhoods with limited broadband access to help students connect for full-time distance learning.
Want to Test More People for Covid-19? Look At the Sewage
COMMENTARY | Wastewater surveillance can help communities increase their testing capabilities and better manage and monitor the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mitigating cyber risk with zero trust
With every point in the infrastructure supply chain being carefully scrutinized, zero trust can help agencies authenticate and manage the onslaught of new devices that need to access secure networks.
How IoT can track health supplies
As many states continue to plead for more face masks and shields, the internet of things can help with inventory and supply-chain tracking.
Machine-learning model shows quarantine impact on virus spread
Researchers at MIT were able to draw a direct correlation between quarantine measures and a reduction in the effective reproduction number of the virus.
States try automating virus contact tracing
Contact tracing apps use smartphones’ GPS and Bluetooth functions to collect and share data about where users have been and with whom they’ve come in contact.
As COVID-19 Lurks, Families Are Locked Out Of Nursing Homes. Is It Safe Inside?
More than 10,000 residents and staff at long-term care facilities have died from COVID infections.
The New Federalism
COMMENTARY | In a crisis defined by erratic leadership in Washington, D.C., the states, as much out of desperation as by design, find themselves asserting long-dormant powers.
A Majority of Vaccine Skeptics Plan to Refuse a COVID-19 Vaccine, a Study Suggests, and That Could Be a Big Problem
COMMENTARY | As most of the world early awaits a vaccine for COVID-19, a smaller group of people scoffs. They could spell real trouble in the effort to build widespread immunity.
House Democrats’ Coronavirus Aid Plan Would Distribute County, City Funding by Population
Democrats want to include funding for local governments in their latest proposal, but are expected to meet resistance from Republican lawmakers.
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