It’s been a hectic twenty days since we started debating on how to coordinate a community response to the unprecedented public health challenge this country and the world is facing. I am grateful that a long list of friends and supporters have set things and people in motion to help produce the biggest*, remotest, loudest, multilingual hackathon this country will have seen.
Note that our association’s mandate and independent approach - all for one and one for all - remains true. We are supporting open data activities across all hackathons, platforms and confessions. We have a prerogative to be active community partners to e-government. And together we can jump on chances to boost discovery of new and alternative open datasets, and the open source apps that use them. Your challenges (work in progress, submissions here) are open.
Today the topic is #covid-19 and all its impacts. A unique chance to get our message out about why openness matters in front of a giant crowd of people. But that is just today. In a matter of time, the next wave, the next epidemic will be upon us. It is critical that we continue to take open health seriously - monitor emissions, crowdsource indicators, track digital divides, bridge the gap between data providers and civil society groups in this area.
Let’s take a page out of the book of our Open Knowledge network colleague Nikesh Balami: „It has become a norm for people to complain about one thing or another, criticise the institutions & people holding the authority. But most of them fail to do something about it, find a solution & actually work on it, instead of just complaining“
Let’s get past our lockdown blues and do something. Face the fear and stand with your peers. Create serious alternatives that government and local groups can act on. Take care of yourself and your own, and remember that no matter your 
- in the end it’s always 
that counts.
„Spread the word, not the virus“ --@LukasSieber
(* sorry, HackZurich, we’ll settle that score later ;^)
