COVID-19's Frontline Heroes, Lessons for Climate Change Action, and More

April 11, 2020

Despite the hardships and health risks, millions of essential frontline workers continue to do their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a new interactive series, Molly Kinder shares their stories, starting with the nation's grocery store workers.

View the series

Additionally, a new report from Kinder lays out how to provide hazard pay to America's essential workers, including doctors, delivery drivers, and gig workers.

Listen: What coronavirus teaches us about addressing climate change

What are the parallels between the response to the global coronavirus pandemic and climate change? Andrea Risotto interviews William Burke-White and Todd Stern on this topic for the latest episode of the Brookings Cafeteria podcast, and Michael Hansen answers a student question on dealing with student loan debt.

Listen to the podcast

Coronavirus economic relief cannot neglect Black-owned business

“The nature of businesses that generate significant revenue for Black people place them in the center of the fight against COVID-19—but also at the center of the pandemic’s economic fallout.” Andre Perry and David Harshbarger argue that more must be done to help Black businesses through the coronavirus crisis.

This week at Brookings

The Fed’s response to COVID-19. What are the monetary and fiscal options for reducing the length and depth of the economic downturn that will follow in the wake of the virus? Watch a discussion with former Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke on how governments had responded as of Monday. Then see what Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday in an address and Q&A on the Fed's response to the crisis and what lies ahead.

America’s digital divide. The shift to remote learning and telework has highlighted the digital divide between Americans with strong broadband infrastructure and those without. On Wednesday, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and Francis Marion School principal Cathy Trimble joined Nicol Turner Lee for a discussion on how to address this growing problem, particularly in rural communities.

COVID-19’s impacts on retail and hospitality. Over one-fifth of Americans are directly employed in retail and hospitality, including stores, bars and restaurants, tourism, and entertainment. Watch a webinar hosted Thursday by the Metropolitan Policy Program examining COVID-19’s impacts on the retail and hospitality industry and creative interventions and solutions taken by cities, states, and small business owners.

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A note on the Brookings response to COVID-19

The Brookings Institution campus in Washington, D.C. will be closed through at least April 24. For more information, read our full guidance here. As Brookings experts continue to assess the global impacts of COVID-19, read the latest analysis and policy recommendations at our coronavirus page or stay up to date with our coronavirus newsletter.

The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars.

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