Governments’ Information System Strategies for Containing COVID-19

Anecdotal evidence suggests that governments use new types of information systems (IS) to contain COVID-19 that are not recognized by the literature on epidemic information systems. This study aims to shed light on the main features of these spread control systems (SCSs). Following a Glaserian grounded theory methodology, we collected secondary data on SCSs used in nine regions or countries. Consequently, we established four dimensions of an SCS, i.e., goal (contract tracing, entry control, and quarantine tracking), contact model (person-to-person, person-to-physical entity, and person-to-virtual perimeter), user type (contact generator, contact analyst, and end-users), and risks (accuracy, completeness, timeliness, privacy, freedom-of-movement, and extortion). We leveraged these dimensions to develop two frameworks. An IS strategy framework can show the holes in the spread control strategy of a government and can be used to compare different governments’ IS strategies for containing the virus. A risk-appetite framework helps understand the risk trade-off different governments make