High pollution levels made Covid-19 worse, as pollution damages the lungs and heart that Covid-19 also affect. There is also evidence that it increases how long the virus lives outside the body and so increases transmission.

A new poll from 21 cities in 6 European countries show that people don't want "normality" to return with its high pollution levels. 68% wanted to see air pollution reduction policies — including restrictions on car access to city centers — kept in place. There is strong support for Access Regulations that reduce pollution, Zero Emission Zones and that give more space for cycles and pedestrian paths.

While a number of cities have postponed the introduction of their low emission zones not to start during the Covid-Crisis, many cities have also reacted with increasing space for people and bikes - particularly important as people avoid public transport due to concerns about sufficient social distancing to avoid higher car traffic and the resulting pollution levels.

Read the full article in Politico (we take no responsibility for external links),