In responding to the COVID-19 outbreak, many governments have taken measures that limit access to information held by public bodies relating to the pandemic and other crucial areas of public interest. However, it is imperative that the right to information is maintained during the emergency as much as possible, as it is crucial for ensuring public awareness and trust, fighting misinformation, ensuring accountability as well as developing and monitoring implementation of public policies aimed at solving the crisis.

This document reviews access to information obligations that should be maintained, and proposes a list of key information and data sets that should be proactively published by authorities to facilitate the fight against COVID-19 and ensure accountability. It is intended to assist governments, civil society, and media in identifying key information and data that should be released based on experiences from across the world during this pandemic and previous crises.