Cuenca, three other South American cities recognized for ‘smart’ response to the Covid-19 pandemic

Cuenca, Montevideo, Uruguay, Bogotá, Colombia and Niterói, Brazil were honored Wednesday night at the Latin America Smart Cities Expo in Mérida, Mexico for their efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cuenca was recognized for its use of technology in responding to the Covid pandemic at the Smart Cities Expo in Mexico.

The forum highlighted the four cities for their “smart strategies to counteract and mitigate the health, social, and economic effects of the pandemic,” event organizers said.

Cuenca was honored for its use of technology to support public services, track infections and allocate health care resources. “Early in the pandemic, Cuenca developed innovative computer-based solutions to control and mitigate the impact of the virus,” Smart Cities said in making the award. The city was also cited for its quick response to manage the Covid threat in its public transportation system.

Montevideo was praised for initiating a coordinated response at an early stage of the pandemic while Bogotá and Niterói were recognized for their “agile and targeted approach to containment” as well as strong leadership.

The Expo, which continues through Saturday, is the largest annual gathering of municipal officials in Latin America and emphasizes “creative approaches” to urban planning and management in the region.

The 2020 Expo focuses on the response to the pandemic as well as the economic challenges that will follow, organizers say. About half the Expo sessions address the pandemic.

In total, more than 13,000 will participate in the event, including 290 speakers.