Reopening America

The coronavirus pandemic had disrupted the food supply chain in a way that has forced both farmers and some food processors to get creative in salvaging some food and still make some sales. As restaurants shut down, farmers and suppliers were left with an oversupply of food specifically grown for diners and not for grocery stores. Some processors were selling chicken and cheese in parking lots and some suppliers were hiring laid off restaurant workers to divide large batches of food into smaller portions made for one shopper. Julie Wernau, reporter for the WSJ, joins us for more.

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Stress and fear over the pandemic has been taking a toll on intimacy. Some are having less sex, others more, and some have been trying new things with their partners. There might not be a quarantine baby boom like some expected, but experts say you can better connect with your partner by practicing ‘mindful sex.’ Elizabeth Bernstein, columnist for the WSJ, joins us for sex in the time of coronavirus.

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As we learn more about COVID-19 and the way it affects people, doctors are seeing a “second-week crash” in patients who suffer the most severe reactions to the coronavirus. Doctors still don’t know why the fifth through 10th days seem to be so dangerous for some, but they suspect overactive immune responses, blood clotting, or even the impact of ventilators. Lenny Bernstein, health and medicine reporter for the Washington Post, joins us for more.

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A government run study of Gilead Science’s ant-viral drug, remdesivir has shown that the medicine is an effective treatment for COVID-19. The study achieved its primary goal which was to improve time to recovery, which was reduced by four days for those on the drug. Adam Feuerstein, reporter at STAT News, joins us for more on remdesivir which is expected to get emergency approval by the FDA.

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Restaurants in Georgia, Tennessee, and Anchorage, Alaska have begun to reopen and all eyes will be on them to see how the rollout goes. In Georgia, the state government has issued 39 guidelines that restaurants must follow including wearing facemasks, screening employees and patrons for signs of illness, and even sign in sheets if the info is needed later for contact tracing. Chloe Sorvino, writer at Forbes, joins us for how some restaurants are beginning to open their doors.

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The U.S. has already pledged almost $3 trillion to save Americans and the economy from the coronavirus pandemic. About 60% of the money for businesses large and small and direct payments to people are in the form of grants, which are funds that will not be recovered by taxpayers. Scott Newsome, PhD candidate at the University of California Santa Cruz, joins us for how the coronavirus bailout will cost us hundreds of billions of dollars.

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We are making our way to getting back to work, but one big hurdle is the commute. For many that rely on public transportation, this still poses a big problem for companies and employees wary of being in close contact with many people. Some companies are considering alternatives to mass transit like, private bus shuttles or smaller office space closer to where many workers live. Chip Cutter, reporter for the WSJ, joins us for the commute back.

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Some things might never be the same after going through this pandemic. One such thing that could change is grocery shopping. The current crisis has accelerated the use of personal shoppers on services like Instacart, Amazon Fresh, and Walmart Grocery. Supermarkets also operate on the psychology of shopping and spending as much time as possible in store and with social distancing, that could also change the way things are done. Stores could expand warehouse space to allow personal shoppers to quickly pick up product for delivery and we could also see smaller stores with more attentive personnel. Ian Bogost, professor at Georgia Tech and contributor to The Atlantic, joins us for what supermarkets could look like after the pandemic.

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The quarantine fatigue is real! Researchers analyzing smartphone data are finding that more Americans are venturing out despite stay-at-home orders. Work trips have remained about the same, but personal trips are starting to increase and so are trips between counties and state lines. There is also some confusion as states announce plans to open back up, some think that they can start easing up on staying at home. The U.S. has never ordered so many to stay at home all at once, and we might be seeing the limits that citizens are willing to handle. Katherine Shaver, reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for how people are over quarantine.

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As states begin to reopen for business, many experts agree that a robust system of contact tracing must be implemented to keep the spread of the virus in check. To accomplish this, some estimates say that we could need up to 300,000 workers and we are nowhere near that. These workers would need to interview those that have tested positive, identify those they have come in contact with, and then try convince those people to self-quarantine. Alice Miranda Ollstein, healthcare reporter at Politico. joins us for more on contact tracing.

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