COVID-19

A closed sign is posted at a restaurant along the River Walk in San Antonio on April 28. Banks are reporting a little more success in getting small business owners' applications for coronavirus relief loans into government processing systems.

Economy

Not-So-Small Businesses Continue To Benefit From PPP Loans

5:51pm May 04, 2020

by Danielle Kurtzleben

SBA data show that demand is still very high for the loans, and that smaller amounts are going out this time. But large, multimillion-dollar loans are still eating up a good chunk of the money.

Deputy Chief Patricia Cassidy of the Jersey City Police Department has blood drawn to test for coronavirus antibodies in Jersey City, N.J., on Monday.

Health & Safety

FDA Cracks Down On Antibody Tests For Coronavirus

4:31pm May 04, 2020

by Richard Harris

These tests are designed to identify people who have been previously exposed to the virus. The Food and Drug Administration is now telling manufacturers they'll have to meet minimum standards.

Economy

Over 1 Million North Carolinians Have Filed For Unemployment

4:18pm May 04, 2020

by Bethany Chafin

North Carolinians have now filed over 1 million unemployment claims. The latest figures come as the state continues to navigate the coronavirus pandemic.

A structure is built on Bhasan Char island off the Bangladeshi coast, as it is being prepared for relocation of Rohingya refugees who fled violence in Myanmar. Dhaka has spent some $280 million transforming the cyclone-prone inlet into a camp for some of

Bangladesh Sends 28 Rohingya Refugees To Cyclone-Prone Island Over COVID-19 Fears

4:17pm May 04, 2020

by Ashley Westerman

The group, mostly women and children, had been stranded at sea for weeks. Human rights groups have long decried the government's plan to send refugees to flood- and cyclone-prone Bhasan Char island.

Allie Clancy, an aspiring TV producer, had to cut short her dream internship at Boston's TD Garden arena. "I'm trying to get used to the idea that I might not get a job in my field for a little while.

Graduation Ceremony Postponed, Dream Internship Cut Short: 'I Have No Direction'

3:57pm May 04, 2020

by Alina Selyukh

Allie Clancy, an aspiring TV producer, had to cut short her internship at Boston's TD Garden arena. "I'm trying to get used to the idea that I might not get a job in my field for a little while."

Signs are displayed in the window of a store in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. The Paycheck Protection Program, aimed at helping small businesses survive the coronavirus crisis, has been beset by problems.

Economy

Here's How The Small Business Loan Program Went Wrong In Just 4 Weeks

12:11pm May 04, 2020

Not-so-small companies like Shake Shack and organizations like the LA Lakers were able to get loans that were meant for suffering small businesses. What happened?

Rocio Tirado, who works for a New Orleans area newspaper, has seen her pay drop during the pandemic. She asked her sons Nicholas (left) and Emilio to be less wasteful.

Economy

I Used The Coronavirus Relief Money To Pay My Overdue Mortgage

10:21am May 04, 2020

by Becky Sullivan

Rocio Tirado, who works for a New Orleans area newspaper, has seen her pay drop during the pandemic. She asked her sons to be less wasteful. Her relief aid went toward her mortgage and a home repair.

Singapore is seeing a spike in coronavirus cases among its hundreds of thousands of migrant workers. Above, a volunteer from a nonprofit group talks to migrant workers now confined to a factory that was converted to a dormitory as part of the effort to co

Health & Safety

Singapore Was A Shining Star In COVID-19 Control — Until It Wasn't

5:55pm May 03, 2020

by Jason Beaubien

The Southeast Asian city-state was lauded as a success story when it came to controlling the coronavirus. Now, it's facing an enormous outbreak in the cramped quarters where migrant laborers live.

Queue Listen Now

When NPR's TV critic Eric Deggans' mother died, the funeral service was streamed online in order to adhere to social distancing guidelines. But the usual comfort and sense of community of sitting shoulder to shoulder with others at his mother's church cou

Health & Safety

When A Beloved Life Ends, Virtual Hugs Can't Replace Human Touch

12:10pm May 03, 2020

by Eric Deggans

How many more might recover, if they had a loved one by their side while fighting for life? An only son aches for the healing power of human touch in his mother's last days, and at her funeral.

Crowds of people took to a seafront promenade under a brilliant sunny sky in Barcelona, where Spain's strict coronavirus lockdown measures were lifted Saturday so that adults could get some exercise.

Adults In Spain Get A Bit Of Sunshine As Coronavirus Lockdown Partially Lifts

5:31pm May 02, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

Last week, children there got to play outside for the first time in weeks. Now adults are taking advantage of the same opportunity in droves, as authorities allowed a few hours of recreation Saturday.