Dear Wikimedia communities,

The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic is a reminder of our global human interconnectedness, and the responsibilities we have to one another. It is also a moment that reminds us of how essential free and open knowledge is around the world.

With roughly half the world under some form of restriction, traffic to the Wikimedia projects has surged. Last Sunday, April 5th, we counted over 673 million page views in a single day across our projects, a five-year high (from when we started using these measurements), and an increase of 30.5% above the same day last year. At the time of this writing (Wednesday, April 8th) that was a new record for our projects.  On Sunday, March 29th, we counted over 650 million page views in a single day across our projects, a record five-year high (from when we started using these measurements), and an increase of 31.5% above the same day last year. Articles related to the coronavirus and COVID-19 are among the most popular articles across dozens of language Wikipedias.

Moments of uncertainty are often moments in which our movement shines. Every day, every hour, thousands of Wikimedians are working diligently to keep the world informed, from combing through medical updates in real-time to make sure our COVID-19 articles are as accurate as possible, to creating data models around COVID-19 patterns on Wikidata, to teaching people how to contribute from the safety of their home.

At the Wikimedia Foundation, we have the honor of supporting all of your work. We see its importance hundreds of millions of times each day as people around the globe seek information. We hear from donors, readers, educators, partners, journalists, and advocates around the world about how much you matter.

Today, I want to express our gratitude for what you have created on these sites and in this movement. Thank you.

We also want to hear how you are doing and what you need as volunteers, organized groups, or affiliates during the pandemic. Please share and discuss what you will need on this Meta-Wiki talk page: Meta-Wiki:Talk:COVID-19

If you are interested in what the Foundation is doing, we have set up a Meta-Wiki page with this information, where we invite others to contribute additional information from across the movement: Meta-Wiki:COVID-19

This is a moment in which not only what we do, but how we do it, will make a meaningful impact on the world. We are so grateful for all that you do as a movement to continue to rise to the challenges of our moment. On behalf of all of us at the Wikimedia Foundation, thank you for your work and dedication, your commitment to the Wikimedia vision, and your care for people around the world.

Yours,

Katherine