Illustration by Ben Fine for Reveal.
Are you a nurse or doctor? Have your hospital’s policies on personal protective equipment changed since the coronavirus pandemic began? We want to hear from you. ([link removed])

Pandemic, protests and profits

The coronavirus pandemic has dealt a devastating blow to businesses across the United States, as social distancing measures erase many habits considered routine just a few weeks ago: dining out, going to the movies, attending concerts, boarding airplanes and more.

While many companies struggle, though, Amazon has seen a surge in orders from people who are sheltering in place and hoping to minimize in-person shopping. The online retail giant says it’s hiring 175,000 new workers to keep up with demand. And its stock price recently hit an all-time high.

But dozens of workers in Amazon warehouses have tested positive for COVID-19. Others have staged protests, demanding their facilities close temporarily and receive deep cleanings. One employee told our reporter Will Evans that she’s afraid to go to work and that the nature of her job makes social distancing impossible.

“Until Amazon and (founder) Jeff Bezos starts realizing there's real people that are going to die in his warehouse, it's not going to stop,” said Heather Harr, a worker in Southern California. “We need support. It's not just the workers, because we can't do it ourselves. We need the customers to speak up. We can't do it alone.”

Also in the episode:

As unemployment claims mount, local leaders across the country are facing pressure to reopen their economies, whether or not their reported COVID-19 cases appear to be leveling off.

Some, such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom, have insisted that any return to semi-normalcy must be governed by meeting a series of benchmarks suggesting the spread of the virus is being contained. Among those eager to open his state for business, however, is Pennsylvania state Rep. Aaron Bernstine, who sat down with host Al Letson ahead of this week’s episode. Despite health experts’ warnings, he has insisted that keeping businesses closed is a violation of his constituents’ rights.

“One of the things that this country was founded on was the ability for people to go and do hard work and pull themselves up by the bootstraps and work hard, advance their life, provide for their families,” he said. “And having that independence … while practicing CDC guidelines, you know, washing their hands, doing those types of things, in order to remain as safe as possible.”

Hear the episode ([link removed])

How do you feel about your local leaders’ handling of the pandemic? Help guide our reporting. ([link removed])

More from us ...

The first $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program was supposed to help small businesses hurt most by COVID-19.

But that’s not what happened. ([link removed]) Instead, businesses in some of the hardest-hit states were approved for fewer loans than those in states that President Donald Trump won in 2016.

We analyzed 1.6 million loans. We found that 15% of small businesses in California got help, even though the state implemented America’s first stay-at-home order. And 18% of businesses in New York and New Jersey got help, even though they’re at the epicenter of the pandemic. In those two states alone, more than 350,000 people have been infected and more than 20,000 have died. Both had early shelter-in-place orders.

What we’re reading:

The sweatshops are still open. Now they make masks ([link removed])
This is the first story that I've seen on the workers making masks and being paid less than minimum wage. Even as they're making protective gear for this pandemic, many garment workers across Los Angeles County still face low wages and poor working conditions. – David Rodriguez, census collaboration and community engagement specialist

A woman living alone ([link removed])
I find that the best stories I've read during this crisis are stories that highlight underreported communities. This story, besides the lovely writing, gives us a glimpse into the lives of seven women living by themselves during COVID-19. It made me sad at times, but also made me smile. – Laura C. Morel, reporter

A nurse watched her father die of coronavirus in her hospital. She couldn’t help him ([link removed])
This is a heartbreaking and beautifully written piece that touches on loss, guilt and the challenges of mourning during a pandemic. Reporter Angel Jennings posted on Twitter: “Last week, I lost my aunt due to complications with covid-19. Unlike the Jackson siblings, we did not get to say goodbye. I poured some of my own sadness into this piece.” That is really evident as you read this. – Priska Neely, reporter and producer

Amid signs coronavirus came earlier, Americans ask: Did I already have it? ([link removed])
This interested me because it delves into something many of us are wondering: Did I already have it, and can I find out with an antibody test? A doctor is quoted saying something that really struck me: “Everyone desperately wants to be immune from this thing ... and they're projecting hope onto the data.” – Elizabeth Shogren, reporter

Coronavirus: Deaths at 20-year high but peak may be over ([link removed])
This BBC piece does a good job of explaining the flu vs. COVID-19 deaths and why this is a historic deal in the UK. – Will Carless, reporter

Investigating the impact of influenza on excess mortality in all ages in Italy during recent seasons ([link removed])
I also found this study really interesting – showing that in the years before COVID-19 hit, Italy was already suffering from extraordinary spikes in deaths and sickness from other viruses (the flu). – Will Carless, reporter

My restaurant was my life for 20 years. Does the world need it anymore? ([link removed])
This was a lovely, sad and real reflection from a restaurant owner forced to close her business after two decades of service. She offers a vivid window into what the nation’s small businesses are experiencing. But more than that, the essay strikes at the heart of what places like these mean for our communities and what we’re losing as they disappear. – Matt Thompson, editor in chief

New work from Reveal’s Reporting Networks ([link removed])
Over the past two years, more than 1,000 reporters across the country have signed up for our Reporting Networks, which provide data, tips and training to journalists who want to push our big investigations further in their own communities. These days, they’re turning out incredible stories about the COVID-19 pandemic. Each week, we’re highlighting some of that work. – Byard Duncan, engagement reporter

And because you probably missed it …

“While vowing to police COVID-19 misinformation on its platform, Facebook let advertisers target users interested in ‘pseudoscience.’ ” – The Markup ([link removed])
Fact-based journalism is worth fighting for.
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