Crisis requires co-ordinated digital response

The challenges we face demand an unprecedented alliance between business and government. Broadband is needed everywhere to support vulnerable populations. What’s happening in Seattle (WA), the first US city affected by the coronavirus outbreak, provides a glimpse. A public-private alliance of the region’s largest employers, Challenge Seattle, became the town square for sharing data and best practices, managing the crisis and planning our return to work. Partnerships between business, government non-profit and academia are essential to flattening the infection curve everywhere, and recovery will require an enduring, vigilant effort.

[Satya Nadella is the chief executive of Microsoft]