In It Together

Back in the spring, roughly 36-percent of Boston’s Pine Street Inn residents were testing positive for the coronavirus. Now, roughly 2-percent are. Host Arun Rath speaks with Pine Street Inn President Lyndia Downie about how she, staff and the city worked to lower coronavirus cases among the homeless.

How faithful have you been when it comes to wearing a mask? WGBH News sent five of our journalists to five different locations this week, to see how people are doing when it comes to covering up properly. Host Arun Rath speaks with our own Edgar B. Herwick III on how the reporting went and what they found out.

When you think of essential workers, you probably don't think of fishermen. But throughout this pandemic, they've been out on the ocean doing their work, despite the danger they face of contracting coronavirus. Arun Rath speaks with Heidi Sulman of Fishing Partnership Support Services about how the industry has been hit particularly hard by COVID-19.

And case numbers are low here in Massachusetts, but doctors, nurses and other staff are still caring for coronavirus patients at local hospitals. Even the strongest among them are feeling the strain. Arun hears from Dr. Beth Lown, medical director at the Boston-based Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare, about the emotional toll this crisis is taking.

It's been roughly a month and a half since inns and motels in the state were allowed to reopen. For Melody Edson and her husband, that re-opening couldn't come fast enough. They purchased the Inn at the Oaks in Eastham just 14 months ago and needless to say, it's been an interesting first year in business. Host Arun Rath speaks with Melody about how the Inn is doing. And, here’s a welcomed spoiler: it's good news.

As tourists return to the Berkshires and businesses reopen, Arun Rath checks back in with Jonathan Butler, president of the economic development agency 1Berkshire, to learn how the region is bouncing back. And Arun speaks with Rachel Chanoff, one of the forces behind Artists at Work, a new program giving funding to artists who’ve been impacted by the coronavirus crisis in exchange for work on social justice initiatives.

We still don't know exactly what school will look like in the fall: online, in the classroom, a hybrid model... and a lot of kids, parents and teachers are getting anxious. Host Arun Rath speaks with WGBH Radio's Tori Bedford who's been reporting on the topic.

In Massachusetts, the coronavirus is infecting communities of color at three times the rate of their white peers. Host Arun Rath speaks with Dr. Atyia Martin from the Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition about their work to ensure recovery from the pandemic is equitable across racial lines.

Arun Rath speaks with Lizz Matos, director of Prisoners Legal Services, to get an update on how Massachusetts inmates are weathering the pandemic. And Arun hears from local artists Catherine Aiello and Tommy Driscoll about their new virtual photo exhibit that documents the experiences of food service workers before and during the coronavirus crisis.

Arun Rath speaks with Dr. Tom Tsai from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health to get an update on what we've learned about coronavirus testing in the months since the pandemic began. And Arun hears from Dr. Jennifer Allen, one of the leaders of a survey from Tufts University that found that only 57-percent of respondents would actually get vaccinated against the virus if a vaccine were to become available.

The travel industry has been decimated by the coronavirus.

Host Arun Rath speaks with Jay Bernten, president and CEO of Vista Travel Inc in Cambridge, about how his travel agency is faring right now and what they're expecting for the future of the industry in the coming months.