Deeper Look from New York

Only 3 weeks after its first coronavirus infection was discovered, New York City became an epicenter of the Coronavirus Pandemic. As NYC remains in lockdown, the fight to save lives continues every day at hospitals throughout the city. How is New York coping with the Pandemic? What steps are New Yorkers taking to combat the crisis, and what can we learn from the experiences this great metropolis has been through? We ask Clinical Professor of Global Health at NYU, Dr. Jo Ivey Boufford.

The streets of New York are eerily quiet as the city remains in lockdown. But inside hospital ERs, battles are being fought every day. While the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the state may have plateaued, they remain significantly high. Surrounded by death and the risk of infection, how do doctors and health care workers manage to keep working? We asked Dr. Tsion Firew, who contracted the virus and on recovery, immediately returned to the front lines to resume her duties.

As the novel coronavirus continues to spread around the world, it is now affecting the African continent, and the number of cases is rapidly rising. To make matters worse, East Africa has been hit by a massive locust swarm, making efforts to control the COVID-19 outbreak even more challenging. We asked Dr. Firew, a Special Advisor to the Ministry of Health in Ethiopia, how the country and other African nations are preparing for the pandemic.

As the U.S. slowly lifts restrictions after a two-month pandemic lockdown, things are not the same. Restaurants are re-opening with limited seating, face masks are required in public. But that's not all that has changed. Unemployment claims have hit 40 million, and the nation worries if jobs will ever come back to the same level before the pandemic. We asked Dr. Groshen about the impact of coronavirus on the labor market.

The killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers prompted tens of thousands of people to protest in cities across the U.S. and around the world. While violence and looting erupted in some areas, incidents of law enforcement officers using force on peaceful demonstrators have been witnessed, triggering debate not only about racial discrimination, but also about the role of police in our society. We asked civil rights lawyer, Damon Hewitt, how we can stop racism and police brutality.

It is university and college graduation season in the U.S., but this year, things are not the same. Some ceremonies are being held on-line, while others are taking place with graduates practicing social distancing. The pandemic has affected U.S. higher education in many ways. Looking to fall, students and parents in and out of the country are wondering what schools will look like when the new academic year begins. We asked Mr. Robert Franek, an expert on U.S. higher education, for his insights.