| MOST POPULAR Nation Settles into Work, School from Home As the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the country, so too is the adoption of telework to keep essential state and local government services available. GovTech offered tips this week on how to make the transition effectively. Those workers not able to do their jobs from home offices, however, are testing the capacity of state unemployment systems. Massive surges in applications nationwide, however, haven’t shifted the message of unemployment officials: Be patient and apply online. And as school closures follow ubiquitous shelter-in-place orders, educators are getting creative in keeping the learning going. But the move to Internet-based tools has exposed a connectivity gap that’s even greater than FCC stats suggest, leaving many students cut off. A partnership with PBS is creating new pathways to curriculum for students via their local TV stations. Local Responses Lead with Data States and cities all over the country have launched community-specific portals to inform and engage their residents during the current crisis. In Boston, the city has recently created new data dashboards fueled by current information from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These efforts could get another boost when the CDC fills its open position for a chief data officer. WHO Targeted by Hackers And the pandemic rages on in cyberspace as well, with hackers most recently going after the World Health Organization and others on the front lines against COVID-19. Complementing the legions of tireless medical personnel tending to the sick are technology innovators looking for ways to help. A company GT has followed called Biobot Analytics is analyzing sewage for traces of COVID-19, hoping to advance societal understanding of the disease. | 