Day: April 3, 2020

The coronavirus crisis in the United States quickly went beyond a public health emergency to become a dire economic threat.

It’s not hard to see why. Coronavirus has led governments to urge residents to stay out of physical offices, work from home if they can, avoid restaurants and other in-person services, not gather in groups of 10 or more, and otherwise make choices for the sake of public health that dramatically reduce economic activity.

But the situation is graver than just shutdowns spurred by public health concerns. In addition to the supply of workers and goods falling, demand has …

The coronavirus crisis in the United States quickly went beyond a public health emergency to become a dire economic threat.

It’s not hard to see why. Coronavirus has led governments to urge residents to stay out of physical offices, work from home if they can, avoid restaurants and other in-person services, not gather in groups of 10 or more, and otherwise make choices for the sake of public health that dramatically reduce economic activity.

But the situation is graver than just shutdowns spurred by public health concerns. In addition to the supply of workers and goods falling, demand has …

My greatest concern at the outset of quarantine, I admit, was boredom while working from home and being stuck in my apartment for weeks on end. It was the very thing I had spent years avoiding even as a freelance writer, renting co-working spaces and going to cafes. So when I had reassured myself that the necessities were in order in my and my girlfriend’s apartment — enough food, toilet paper, disinfectant wipes — or at least available nearby, I embarked on an Amazon-enabled nesting campaign.

Anxiety comes in different varieties right now. We worry about the basics, like staying …