APCO is tracking Americans’ attitudes and behaviors related to COVID-19. In polling conducted by APCO Insight, we assess public expectations on what is needed to ensure that non-health care essential workers are treated fairly:
APCO Insight Poll on Essential Workers

To access the latest research and resources on the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit APCO's Coronavirus Hub.

How can the Food Industry Come Back Stronger from the COVID-19 Pandemic?

APCO's Eliot Hoff, Global Crisis Practice Lead, and Dan Glickman, Senior Counselor, shares insights in this video on the future of the food industry and opportunities for change:
APCO Come Back Stronger: Food Industry
The Future of Travel: Mapping Predictive Trends in the Tourism Industry

APCO's Cody LeBlanc, senior associate director, shares insights on the common trends in predicting the future of the tourism industry:
Network map of travel predictions

"Once travel restrictions are lifted, the first trip that many travelers will take is to visit their close friends and families. Some industry observers expect to see that trend evolve into increased multigenerational travel as well, as families rediscover the importance of spending time together and seek to save on travel costs.

Most importantly, all actors in the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors will need to adopt new technologies and procedures to ensure the health and safety of potential travelers."

Webinar: Protecting Individual Rights as Our Economic and Social Orders are Restored

To safely ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions and gradually resume economic and social activities, policymakers need to understand who can re-enter the workplace, return to school, and participate in everyday life without posing public health risks. 

Join APCO Worldwide and a panel of thought leaders from industry and civil society in thinking through best practices for protecting individual rights as our economic and social orders are restored. The webinar will take place on Wednesday, May 20, from 11:00am ET to 12:00pm ET. RSVP here.
Webinar: How will COVID-19 impact health and social care in the UK?

What does COVID-19 mean for the UK government’s health and social care reform agenda? Watch the May 12 webinar with Richard Sloggett, former special adviser to Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock, and Senior Fellow, Policy Exchange, who discussed the impact of the lockdown measures on the UK health system.
 

JAPAN: FORCED TO DIGITALIZE

APCO colleagues are sharing on-the-ground insights and analysis on the impact of COVID-19 in markets around the world. Today’s dispatch from APCO’s Tokyo office underlines how Japan’s government and businesses are forced to augment their digital transformation.

Japan recorded its first COVID-19 case in mid-January. As of this week, an official report from the Ministry of Health confirmed a total of approximately 16,000 cases, and less than 700 deaths, with Tokyo, a metropolitan center of 13.5 million and the hub of Japan Inc, being the worst affected part of the country. These figures fare well compared to most other countries around the world, and Japan has managed to hold down its case count while maintaining a degree of business activity, despite the government urging people to work from home. Nonetheless, the economic impact of the virus has left many businesses reeling.
 
As the government begins to ease restrictions and gradually reopen businesses, people are also encouraged to adopt a “new lifestyle” in what is now expected to be a protracted battle against the virus. The government will continue to promote teleworking and the avoidance of confined and crowded places and close contact with others. These measures challenge long-ingrained practices in the country which places great emphasis on face-to-face meetings and paper documents, as businesses operating in Japan will have to continue cutting travel and spending less time in meetings as part of measures to guard against the spread of the coronavirus. The government itself is similarly forced to accelerate its long-awaited digital transformation. Indeed, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s coronavirus response has been hindered in some cases by reliance on fax machines and antiquated name seals to process official documents. While the outbreak has accelerated shifts in Japan’s digitalization and work habits, the need was already clear before the crisis. The next months will see how well organizations adapt to the new, digitally enabled, post-COVID-19 environment in Japan.

Some Positive News

  • Saying thank you: Qatar Airways gives healthcare workers 100,000 free airline tickets for International Nurses Day on May 12, CNN
  • Potentially positive treatments: The WHO stated that some treatments are showing positive data and appear to be limiting the severity or length of COVID-19, Reuters
  • Royal thanks: The Queen and the royal family thanked nurses across the world fighting the coronavirus during International Nurses Day 2020, The Sun
     

More Tips from Around the Water Cooler

  • To avoid burnout, work less and ignore ‘productivity propaganda,’ Bloomberg
  • World’s biggest tourism companies reinvent holidays with new safety measures, Reuters
  • What good business looks like, Harvard Business Review
  • Cubicle comeback? Pandemic will reshape office life for good, Associated Press
  • A guide to pandemic scams, and what not to fall for, The New York Times

Quotables


“At this critical moment, marked by the global health emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, we have rediscovered the fundamental importance of the role being played by nurses and midwives. Every day we witness the testimony of courage and sacrifice of healthcare workers, and nurses in particular, who, with professionalism, self-sacrifice, and a sense of responsibility and love for neighbour, assist people affected by the virus, even to the point of putting their own health at risk.”

     - Pope Francis


“Let us remember how small our differences are in the face of this shared threat. In the final analysis, we are not partisan combatants, we are human beings, equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God. We rise or fall together, and we are determined to rise.”

      - 
George W. Bush, Former United States President
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.