As research labs reopen, scientists grapple with social distancing's effects

Jul 27, 2020
In March, many lab experiments ground to a halt. Now, researchers are figuring out how to start again.
Scientists work in the microbiology department of an Australian laboratory. Research has new constraints and costs post-lockdown.
Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Restaurants face closings as business slows and rents go unpaid

Jul 14, 2020
Eighty percent of restaurants in New York City didn't pay full rent in June. The businesses historically have little if any reserves, one expert says.
A man waits for his lunch order at a nearly empty restaurant at Grand Central Market in Los Angeles in June.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Will surges in COVID-19 cases mean a return to lockdowns?

Jun 16, 2020
Coronavirus cases are rising in many parts of the country, at the same time movement restrictions are lifted.
A "Now open" sign outside an indoor axe-throwing range and bar in Las Vegas, which is opening for the first time since closing in March.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

When will consumers start feeling better about the future?

May 25, 2020
As states relax lockdown rules, consumers may start to feel better about the current situation. The future might take longer.
A reopened Indiana barber shop in mid-May. Consumer confidence may be improving as people begin to return to their usual activities.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

People are adjusting to working from home for the long haul

May 22, 2020
We check in with three people adapting to their new work environments. Zen attitudes about pantsless kids in video chats helps.
A new report from The New York Times delves into increasingly common monitoring software used to track employee productivity.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Economists are measuring the cost effectiveness of coronavirus lockdowns

Apr 23, 2020
New research shows a long lockdown could be cheaper than reopening too soon.
One economist says the way forward is "smart containment," somewhere in between total lockdown and a free-for-all.
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Wuhan returns to life after COVID-19 lockdown

Apr 9, 2020
In the city of 11 million, it is far from business as usual.
People sit outside Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan in the hope of taking one of the first trains leaving the city in China's central Hubei province on April 8.
Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images

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Businesses in Brussels feel the effects of the lockdown

Nov 23, 2015
The streets are still empty in Brussels as the city goes onto day three of a lockdown.

How do you lock down a city like Boston and how much does it cost?

Apr 19, 2013
With a manhunt for bombing suspect, the city of Boston came to a standstill. A look into the mechanics of locking down a major metropolitan area and how much it costs.