COVID-19 Implications for Research and Education on Engineered Structures and Services

While there may be a tendency to characterize COVID-19 as exclu-sively a public health issue, engineered structures and services have both mitigated and exacerbated the pandemic’s march around the globe, raising questions about the role of engineering in controlling pandemics. Any attempts to answer these questions implicate not only the tools, techniques and problems which we define as within the province of engineering, but also the means by which we ar¬rive at this definition. As described here—in settings ranging from nursing homes to prisons to Brazilian favelas—the COVID-19 crisis has upended a number of foundational notions associated with the practice of hazard mitigation through the design and operation of engineered structures and services. It has revealed the need to ex¬amine the conditions and assumptions that characterize the models we construct and the data we collect. We do so through a number of case studies collected during the COVID-19 crisis, leading to im¬plications for the conduct of research and education to support not only further advances in our field but to improved prospects for im¬proved mitigation of pandemics and other hazards. © 2020, Policy Studies Organization. All rights reserved.

Government Strategies in the Confrontation of Covid-19 in the Republic of Cuba

The policies that countries develop to face the crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic have a strong impact on the impact it causes. In Cuba, the general strategy to confront the pandemic was directed by the government, which, under the guidance of the Ministry of Public Health, drew up an action plan based on stages and phases to comply with the strategy, taking into account the evolution of the disease in the country. The objective of this research is to assess the effectiveness of the government strategy for the treatment of the COVID-19 disease in Cuba, based on the analysis of the integration of the different organizations that participated. The analysis carried out allowed us to find the interrelationships between the different organizations involved with influences in the treatment of the pandemic. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

The Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on E-Commerce: A Survey on Brazilian Consumer Behavior

Brazil’s e-commerce system has changed around insecurity and low-quality delivery, not being efficient and effective. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Brazilian population was forced to leave insecurity and use e-commerce. But are the significant issues resolved? How do people shop online? What does the Brazilian market like when shopping online? In what ways do Brazilians use e-commerce? Has behavior changed? These are the critical aspects of this study. In an online survey of convenience, a probability sample conducted using a snowball method. The survey pointed out that the acceleration of e-commerce shows the urgency to ensure that the country can better use e-commerce to take advantage of the digitalization opportunities and help the government in its economic recovery. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

A Survey on the Effects of the Covid-19 in the Brazilian Population Lifestyle

How far can a whole social routine be transformed after the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic? It is possible that it has impacted human factors and ergonomics, such as sleep, physical activity, mental health and activities of daily living. It is necessary to focus on society currently, and to determine new forms of interaction in search of a better quality of life. The objective of this work is to determine the extent the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 influenced human behavior in relation to style and quality of life, whether or not imposing new routines, and whether these, such as these, may impact the change of a society. To better understand the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on society, human factors variables were raised, and a survey study, where several people were able to answer and share their experiences in the midst of the restrictions of the pandemic when answering an online questionnaire. The research seeks by asking questions to the target audience on variables related to the home environment, employment situation, work routine and health in general. In addition, the research explores symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as sleep, wakefulness, and physical activity levels. There is a need for a new direction in research to monitor the changes across society, seeking a vision of a new society, which emerges in the face of a disruptive period, which impacts the entire planet. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Analysis of Communications from Government Agencies and Stakeholders on Twitter During the COVID-19 in Brazil

Communication is a fundamental tool in health crisis management, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study addressed the communication of the official agencies and the main Brazilian governmental stakeholders on Twitter. The analysis carried out showed inconsistent, incongruous, and conflicting information that includes misinformation and scientific negationism, hindering the implementation of non-pharmacological care strategies measures needed to reduce the virus’s spread, contributing to thousands of deaths by COVID-19 reached by the country caused by the pandemic. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.