Coronavirus diaries are helping people cope. They're also a research gold mine

To prevent people from losing their homes due to lack of paying rent or during the coronavirus pandemic, the L.A. County Supervisor issued an executive order that prevents landlords from evicting their tenants. To apply, the renter must demonstrate their "inability to pay due to COVID-19 financial impacts."

When Henrico County Fire Department began to respond to calls for people exhibiting signs of coronavirus, they began utilizing recommendations of how best to stay safe. Although restrictive, this new playbook helps emergency responders stay safe by "limiting the number of responders that go into a facility" and encourages nursing homes to bring patients "as close to the ambulance entrance as possible."

A variety of AI tools are being used by the healthcare industry to try to identify cases of coronavirus. Although it's not yet clear which will be most successful in doing so, tools such as automated chatboxes, algorithms to identify at-risk people, and the use of modeling and projections are all being piloted to help aid hospitals, clinicians, and patients.

Milwaukee's nonprofits serving youth are finding new ways to check in and connect with their students as the coronavirus rules out the possibility for in-person afterschool programming. “Social distancing doesn’t mean social disconnection," the director of a community organization said. "We want to encourage youth to stay in touch with each other and with trusted adults."

At nursing homes in the Long Island area, facilities and their staff have stepped up to ensure residents can use technology to stay connected. They have facilitated performances over Zoom, local school-children send videos to say hello, and lectures and games have been made available online, as well.

Across the world, communities are beginning to use a variety of different methodologies to better connect with their neighbors during the coronavirus pandemic. From social media to public Google documents, neighborhoods are working together to combat loneliness during social distancing and help make sure the most vulnerable have the necessities.

The Cedar Hill Continuing Care Community near Lebanon, New Hampshire, is one of many senior-assisted living facilities that has rapidly responded to the spread of coronavirus. The staff has set up personal bingo tables that allow residents to sit six feet apart, taught seniors how to call their loved ones while they're quarantined, and engaged in more personalized activities to keep morale high.

Grocery stores across the United States frantically respond to the "panic buying" brought on by fear of the coronavirus quarantine. As Americans rapidly stock up on supplies, grocery stores expand their network of suppliers, working with farmers, restaurant distributors, and others to find creative solutions to the bottleneck problem of keeping food and goods on their shelves.

People in Bend, Oregon have turned to social media in order to help at-risk community members during the coronavirus pandemic. Utilizing Facebook Groups to connect with one another, the moderators aim to conduct "acts of kindness that are most easily crowdsourced" such as picking up groceries or walking a neighbor's dog.

As governments order lockdowns of cities and countries due to coronavirus concerns, many people are at risk for experiencing mental health issues such as loneliness and anxiety. To combat this, people are turning to telemedicine for counseling consultations and to keep in touch with loved ones, as well as activities such as exercise to improve moods.