A person with a walker crosses and carrying an umbrella is seen crossing 42nd Street with brightly lit signs all around.

Number of lockdowns grows as countries try to counter the coronavirus

Full Episode

A person with a walker crosses 42nd Street in a mostly deserted Times Square following the outbreak of the coronavirus, in New York, March 23, 2020.

Carlo Allegri/Reuters

About a fifth of the world’s population is now under some sort of lockdown to try to contain the spread of the coronavirus. At the same time, China has announced it will be lifting the restrictions on people in Wuhan and the surrounding province of Hubei, where the virus was first identified. And, in states like California, in shelter-in-place mode because of the coronavirus, farmworkers are considered essential. The farmworkers still go out and work, but there are increasing concerns about their safety on the job. Also, Verdant Spirits, based in Dundee, Scotland, is switching production from gin to hand sanitizer in the wake of coronavirus and hopes to produce more than 100 gallons of hand sanitizer gel.

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In This Episode

A health worker spray disinfectant at an airport wearing protective gear.
WHO fills gaps to fight COVID-19 in countries with weaker health systems, says spokesperson
Special Coverage
Kashmiri journalists display laptops and placards during a protest demanding restoration of internet service, in Srinagar, Nov. 12, 2019.
Internet restrictions make it virtually impossible for Kashmiris to get COVID-19 info
Special Coverage
UK lockdowns
Leticia Arcila, a 20-year-old voter in Atlanta, Georgia, said health care is her top priority in a presidential candidate.
For this young Latina voter, pandemic highlights the need for ‘Medicare for All’
Special Coverage
British sports commentator gives mundane play-by-play
Farmworkers in a field
Farmworkers are now deemed essential. But are they protected?
Special Coverage
Turkey underplaying coronavirus threat
US cuts financial aid to Afghanistan
A close up of hands holding a bourbon bottle and a bottle of hand and surface sanitizer
Iconic distilleries turn to hand sanitizer production around the world
Special Coverage
An aerial view of a detention center
Australia detained this family on a remote island — alone
Special Coverage