In It Together

Arun Rath speaks with Mass General anesthesiologist Dr. Lucy Li about the discrimination she's faced as an Asian-American during the coronavirus crisis. And Arun checks back in with local realtor Andrea Castinetti, who came on the show in the spring after launching an effort to collect personal protective equipment for frontline workers in need.

Host Arun Rath speaks with Bill and Linda Wrinn of Gloucester. Linda is a speech pathologist at a nursing home in Peabody. Since March, she's had to quarantine away from her family because some of her patients had the coronavirus. While she never got sick, she didn't want to bring the virus home to her family. In an effort to help her and their teenage daughter cope with the change, Bill re-framed Linda's quarantine, instead choosing to treat her as a hotel guest at the Bennet Street Hill Inn and Bistro, named after the street where the family lives. Bill created and cooked a different dinner menu every night for Linda, while their 12-year-old daughter Veila took care of the housekeeping. Linda's been in quarantine away from her family for over 70 days in an RV in the family's driveway, but there's a chance next week that she may finally be able to reunite them again.

It’s been a while since many of us hit the barbershop. But they’re open now - with restrictions in place. Arun Rath speaks with Anthony Berriola, owner of Razors Barbershop in Somerville, to hear how his shop is handling the new rules. And Arun hears from Kevin Whitney, Chief Nursing Officer at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, about how they’re proceeding with recently restarted elective surgeries.

Host Arun Rath checks back in with Sara Slymon, director of the Brookline Public Library.The Brookline Library system stepped up to help during the pandemic, transforming one of their locations in lodging for local firefighters trying to social distance. They also printed mask filters and hand-sewed cloth masks for frontline workers. Monday was the first day staff could return to work on site. While the libraries wont physically be open until the end of summer, at the earliest, they are still doing curbside pick-up of books and plan to maintain their online resources and offerings for the rest of the year.

Arun Rath checks back in with Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, chief of the infectious diseases division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, to get a sense of what we know about the coronavirus three months after Governor Charlie Baker ordered schools closed and banned restaurants and bars from offering sit-down service. And Arun speaks with Donna Kelly-Williams, president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, to hear how the state’s nurses are weathering the pandemic.

Reporter Tori Bedford has been covering protests and demonstrations over the last few weeks organized because of the police killing of George Floyd. Host Arun Rath talks to her about what she’s seen and we hear from some protesters who never made it into her daily reporting.

Arun Rath takes a look at how movie theaters and music venues are coping with the pandemic, speaking with Ned Hinkle, creative director at the Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square, and JJ Gonson, owner of ONCE Ballroom in Somerville.

Hair salons and barber shops are more than just a place to get a hair cut - for many, they're community centers, places to socialize and see friends.

Host Arun Rath talks with Erin Danielle, the owner of Simply Erinn's - a unisex hair salon in Cambridge, about how her business is re-opening to customers and keep that sense of community alive.

Arun Rath speaks with Nikhil Lal and Jay Diengott of the Artisan’s Asylum in Somerville about their effort to make PPE for frontline workers. And Arun hears from Ben Wallace of Gallery 263 in Cambridge about how his space is handling the phased-in reopening.

This pandemic has impacted almost everything in our lives, including how we grieve. Host Arun Rath speaks with Adrianne Faggas, owner of Faggas Funeral Home in Watertown, about how her business has changed because of the virus, including how families are able to grieve the loss of their loved ones, whether they died of coronavirus or not.