essential workers

A panel of judges in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, pictured in San Francisco, ruled on Monday that the Trump administration can end humanitarian protections for immigrants from four countries, clearing a path for their eventual deportat

Court Rules Government Can End Humanitarian Protections For Some 300,000 Immigrants

8:45pm September 14, 2020

by Rachel Treisman

Critics say ending Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan will devastate families and communities, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.

A triage team screens patients outside the Emergency Department at Owensboro Health. The hospital lost two-thirds of its revenue while elective surgeries were halted, but it didn't lay off any workers.

Economy

Kentucky City Enjoys Booming Economy Amid Pandemic As Rest Of Country Reels

11:01am September 08, 2020

by Scott Horsley

Owensboro, Ky., has enjoyed the closest thing to a V-shaped recovery of any city in the country. Its jobless rate soared in April but by June was back to pre-pandemic levels.

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Kern County, shown here in April, is one of eight counties in California's Central Valley that will receive federal funding and resources to help relieve inundated hospitals and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

National

California's Hard-Hit Central Valley To Get Federal Health Workers, More State Help

9:00pm July 27, 2020

by Rachel Treisman

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced incoming funding, strike teams and federal health care workers to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in eight Central Valley counties where hospitals are overwhelmed.

A fish-plant worker processes seafood at Blue Harvest Fisheries in New Bedford, Mass. Workers were provided face shields to prevent the spread of the coronavirus on the plant floor.

National

This City's Coronavirus Safety Measures Could Become Best Practices

5:01am July 16, 2020

by Nadine Sebai

The fishing port of New Bedford, Mass., is protecting essential workers during the pandemic with a set of enforceable guidelines that experts say could be a model for other cities.

As coronavirus cases persist and some states even backtrack their reopening plans, essential workers have flooded social media with calls for hazard pay.

When Essential Workers Earn Less Than The Jobless: 'We Put The Country On Our Back'

10:23am July 01, 2020

by Alina Selyukh

Congress has yet to pass a measure that would ensure a pay boost for people who have been asked to keep going to work during the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns.

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More than half of New York City's households don't have access to a car. Across the country, people without vehicles are weighing their options — or lack thereof — as the pandemic adds a new risk to public transit.

Health & Safety

CDC Now Recommends Driving Alone. But What If You Don't Have A Car?

6:28pm June 16, 2020

by Camila Domonoske

Some people who are carless by choice find themselves reassessing that decision. And those who can't afford cars face increased risks, in yet another example of the pandemic exacerbating inequalities.

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Dr. Lauren Jenkins reads to her twin sons, Pierce and Ashton, while wearing her "hazmat" suit. Because lung cancer has compromised her husband's immune system, Jenkins moved out of her home and visited in the suit as a precaution.

She's A Frontline Doctor. Her Husband Has Lung Cancer. Now, A Simple Hug Is Dangerous

11:10am June 07, 2020

by Tom Dreisbach

When Lauren Jenkins learned a coworker had tested positive for the coronavirus, she did what once would've seemed unthinkable — separating from her two young boys and a husband with stage IV cancer.

Parkview Early Learning Center in Spokane, Wash., has been operating at one-third capacity under pandemic guidelines. Co-owner Luc Jasmin III says it has been tough to turn away parents, many of whom are essential workers.

'Barely Holding It Together': Stresses Of An Early Child Care Center That Stayed Open

11:58am June 02, 2020

by Jonaki Mehta

A center in Spokane, Wash., has been operating at one-third capacity under pandemic guidelines. Co-owner Luc Jasmin III says it has been tough to turn away parents, many of whom are essential workers.

Bartolomé Perez of Los Angeles has cooked at McDonald's for 30 years. He helped stage a walkout at his restaurant in April after a coworker tested positive for COVID-19.

Economy

'Between Life And Death': McDonald's Worker Says Pandemic Puts Safety In Focus

11:17am May 21, 2020

by Alina Selyukh

In his 30 years working at McDonald's, Bartolomé Perez joined several strikes to demand higher wages and better benefits. But the stakes have felt very different during the coronavirus pandemic.

Virginia State Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, is joined by Del. Lamont Bagby, D-Henrico, (far left), and other members of the state's Legislative Black Caucus in November 2019. On Wednesday, the VLBC sent a letter to Gov. Ralph Northam opposing his

Black Leaders In Virginia To Gov. Northam: It's Too Soon To Reopen

4:51pm May 13, 2020

by Sarah McCammon

Leaders of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus say they're concerned about racial health disparities exacerbated by the pandemic.