COVID-19

Joe Cipollone of Ventec Life Systems explains the company's critical care ventilator to General Motors employees who will be helping to produce the ventilators at a GM plant in Kokomo, Ind., on Friday.

Health & Safety

FEMA Hadn't Ordered Ventilators. Manufacturers Forged Ahead Anyway

1:35pm April 01, 2020

by Camila Domonoske

Medical technology companies — sometimes working with carmakers — have been massively increasing production of ventilators. For two weeks, they've been working without government contracts in hand.

Workers leave an FCA Chrysler truck plant in Detroit on March 18 after the automaker shut down all of its North America factories as a precaution against the coronavirus.

Economy

Factories Feel The Coronavirus Slump

1:13pm April 01, 2020

by Scott Horsley

The coronavirus pandemic is taking a toll on the nation's factories. Manufacturing activity slumped in March as the virus cut into both supply and demand.

Cruise ships are docked at PortMiami on Tuesday. The U.S. Coast Guard has been working with cruise companies to bring people off of ships stricken with the coronavirus — but a new bulletin also says foreign-flagged ships should not rely on U.S. help.

Coast Guard Tells Cruise Ships With COVID-19 Cases To Stay Away From U.S. Ports

1:11pm April 01, 2020

by Bill Chappell

By registering ships in the Bahamas and other countries, many companies can avoid U.S. laws. The Coast Guard says they should seek medical aid from those countries rather than rely on the U.S.

A woman walks at a closed restaurant in an empty terminal at the airport in Munich. Businesses across Germany have closed or cut back hours because of the new coronavirus.

Nearly Half A Million Companies In Germany File For State Funds To Pay Workers

12:52pm April 01, 2020

by Rob Schmitz

As Europe's largest economy gets hit with COVID-19, a German government financial aid program will make up some of the lost income for millions of employees.

The Austin Public Health investigation centers around a group of students who traveled together to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

28 College Students Who Chartered A Spring Break Plane To Mexico Now Have Coronavirus

12:44pm April 01, 2020

by Bill Chappell

All of the people who have tested positive are students at the University of Texas at Austin. Some of the group returned on separate commercial flights — widening the potential spread of infection.

A family in Kent, England, posted a parody of the song "One Day More" from Les Misérables, with new words about their life under strict lockdown measures in the U.K. due to the coronavirus.

World News

U.K. Family's Lockdown-Themed Rendition Of 'Les Mis' Is A Delight

12:36pm April 01, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

The family wrote new lyrics based on their own frustrations: friends unseen, soccer games canceled, grandparents who can't figure out Skype. The video has been viewed more than seven million times.

Nicolena Loshonkohl, a single mom in Roanoke, Va., lost all her income when the hair salon where she worked shut down. She's been finding ways to social distance and keep her toddler engaged outside. But finding money to pay her rent and all her bills is

It's The 1st Of The Month. Renters Are In A Much Tougher Spot Than Homeowners

12:22pm April 01, 2020

by Chris Arnold

The government ordered lenders to let homeowners skip payments if they lost income because of the coronavirus. But landlords can require renters to pay even if they've lost their jobs. And many are.

Queue Listen Now

Health & Safety

Fact Check: Are North Carolina's Hospitals Typically '85 Percent Full?'

10:37am April 01, 2020

by Neal Charnoff and Paul Specht, Politifact NC, WRAL

Hospitals are preparing for an influx of patients as the novel coronavirus spreads across the U.S.

Queue Listen Now

Billy Barr lives in Gothic, Colo., a silver mining town that was abandoned more than 100 years ago.

National

Tips From Someone With 50 Years Of Social Distancing Experience

5:00am April 01, 2020

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Billy Barr has living alone in a cabin in a Colorado mountain ghost town for 50 years. He offers advice on how to find and maintain happiness in isolation.

View of a Willet bird in the foamy water in front of the setting sun at Fort Myers Beach, Fla., in winter.

National

Some Snowbirds Headed North Told To Stay In Their Southern Nests

5:00am April 01, 2020

by Danielle Kaeding

People who migrate South for winter are being told not to return to their year-round homes in the North. Some places that typically welcome their return are asking people to stay away.