quarantine

Debbie Sorensen, an infectious disease nurse with Salt Lake County Public Health Department in Salt Lake City, talks by phone with a woman who recently tested positive for the coronavirus. Sorensen is one of the county's 130 contact tracers aiming to slow

Health & Safety

When You Can't Quarantine At Home: COVID-19 Contact Tracers Aim To Help

6:00am June 10, 2020

by Andrew Becker

Public health experts say tracing the close contacts of people infected with the coronavirus and getting them all into quarantine is crucial to stopping the pandemic. That's easier said than done.

Screenshot of a chart comparing projected cases in scenarios where preventative measures were not taken.

Modelers Suggest Pandemic Lockdowns Saved Millions From Dying Of COVID-19

3:22pm June 09, 2020

by Jason Beaubien

Researchers cast a backward look to see what might have happened during the first months of the coronavirus crisis without any preventive measures.

Aysha Abu Shhab (right) and Noam Shuster-Eliassi (second from right) with other COVID-19 patients quarantined by the Israeli military at the Dan Jerusalem Hotel, which became known as "Hotel Corona."

'Everybody's Getting Along Here': How 'Hotel Corona' United Israelis And Palestinians

10:43am June 09, 2020

A Jerusalem hotel hosted 180 quarantined COVID-19 patients from different backgrounds. Despite concerns they might clash, some became friends. The biggest test of togetherness came during Passover.

Queue Listen Now

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.

Coronavirus FAQs: How To Stay Safe While Protesting, When To Go Out After Recovery

7:09pm June 05, 2020

Also: If I head to a new state or country for a visit, do I need to self-isolate to protect others in case I'm contagious?

The bathroom at the Glasscock house in Pensacola, Fla., where mother and daughter attempted to install a bidet.

Arts

DIY During Quarantine. What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Plenty

12:30pm May 17, 2020

by Martha Ann Overland

Stay-at-home orders have inspired many people to take on do-it-yourself projects and tackle their own home repairs. But sometimes a toolbox and YouTube videos aren't enough to prevent disasters.

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Loneliness can affect not just your mental health but also your physical health.

Health & Safety

Too Much Alone Time? Tips To Connect And Find Joy While Social Distancing

10:21am May 10, 2020

by Allison Aubrey

The isolation that comes with social distancing carries serious physical and mental health risks. Here's how to forge new connections and nurture friendships, without leaving home.

National

Tell Us: What Will Your New 'Normal' Look Like?

10:40am April 30, 2020

by Tanya Ballard Brown

As states consider gradually loosening stay-at-home orders, tell us what you plan to do. Our reporters may contact you for a story featured on NPR.

A booth was taped off to ensure social distancing at a coffee shop in Woodstock, Ga., on Monday, as Gov. Brian Kemp eased restrictions in the state and allowed dine-in service.

Compared With China, U.S. Stay-At-Home Has Been 'Giant Garden Party,' Journalist Says

5:19pm April 29, 2020

by Dave Davies

New York Times health reporter Donald McNeil points to China as one extreme way to stop a pandemic in its tracks. "We're reluctant to follow China, but they did it," he says. At least for now.

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Prema Thakur, an official for the Champawat district in India, teaches Pratap Singh Bora, a 56-year-old migrant laborer from Nepal, how to write his name in Hindi.

A 56-Year-Old Finally Learned To Write His Name — Because Of A Coronavirus Lockdown

8:20am April 25, 2020

by Sushmita Pathak

Pratap Singh Bora is a migrant laborer from Nepal who had to leave his construction job in India and is now living in a relief camp. But there's an upside to this turn of events.