Reflections on the crisis management of selected municipal and city authorities during the coronavirus pandemic

Abstract

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 had a significant impact on the operation of all aspects of society, including public administration institutions. This article aims to examine the most challenging issues encountered by selected municipal and city authorities, how they responded to these issues, and how the experience gained has been reflected in crisis plans for managing similar future events. This aim is accomplished through a literature review of public sources and scientific papers on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on public administration, as well as the results of interviews with representatives of the selected authorities. The results confirmed that the selected authorities were able to rapidly overcome the initial lack of relevant information and unpreparedness to implement anti-coronavirus measures and maintain the standard level of public services provided, albeit in a limited capacity.