Dear readers,

Thank you for your continued readership of APCO’s Coronavirus Beat. As the year draws to a close, we are discontinuing the full newsletter and this is the final edition. We hope you found it to be valuable and appreciate all the comments and feedback we received over the course of this series.

Moving forward, APCO will continue to share updates about COVID-19, the recovery process and the post-pandemic future as we resume publishing Stay Ahead, our award-winning monthly newsletter. Look for it in your inbox later this month and throughout next year.

As always, we hope you will keep in touch and let us know what you think of Stay Ahead.

Stay Ahead: Insights from APCO

Has Germany set the European Transport Sector on the Path to a Digital Transformation?
Marc Krüger, associate consultant in APCO's Berlin office, and Emma Brierley, project consultant in APCO's Brussels office discuss how the pandemic highlighted the importance of data and data exchange for businesses and their recovery, especially in areas such as the transport sector:

Airplane near cargo hold

"While many companies are already using their own data to develop and deploy digital solutions, there is still an enormous potential in this area, as there remains a discrepancy between the amount of data that is made available and what is used. 

In this context, Germany has demonstrated both nationally and on a European level during its Presidency of the Council of the European Union, how encouraging the use and exchange of data by companies will be key for the development of an innovative and sustainable transport system.
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Some Positive News

  • Women power: The global challenge of developing COVID-19 vaccines showcased the ground-breaking work of female immunologists and demonstrated the benefits of expanding opportunity in the sciences, Bloomberg
  • Adapting for the holidays: Families globally are taking advantage of technology to celebrate Christmas and New Year traditions in new ways, organizing everything from outdoor lights displays to online visits with Santa, South China Morning Post
  • Safeguarding mental health: As the pandemic threatens Britain’s mental health, a charity called the Bearded Fishermen has begun a nightly suicide-prevention patrol around a town in England, looking for people in crisis, The New York Times

More Tips from Around the Water Cooler

Quotables


“Looking ahead, the recovery from COVID-19 must address the pre-existing conditions it has exposed and exploited, from gaps in basic services to an overheated planet. Stronger health systems and Universal Health Coverage must be a priority. […] As we relaunch economies, new investments must lay the groundwork for sustainable development and carbon neutrality, in line with the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We cannot bequeath a broken planet and huge debts to future generations. The money we spend on recovery must go into building a greener, fairer future.

         -  António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations 
The APCO team is working with clients globally to manage this crisis, and we stand ready to support your needs. For more resources from APCO, including our latest research, information on how we can help or to contact us, visit apcoworldwide.com/coronavirus.