csmonitor--2020-05-21--Lockdown Ramadan: One globe-trotter’s homebound holy month

Yet even under these circumstances , I marvel at the unlikely sense of community that ’ s emerged — people messaging me out of the blue , socially distant walks in the park with masked friends , and care packages arriving every day .
Weeks in solitude have had a meditative effect , giving me stretches of time to contemplate my blessings — including all the memories that have made up my Ramadans past .
This year , mosques stand eerily empty and decadent iftars in Zanzibar are a faint memory .
Like everyone else , I ’ ve spent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bizarre new normal .
Gone are the thrills of exploring a seemingly limitless world , replaced by the monotony of circling every corner of my very finite New York apartment .
A year ago , I welcomed the month of Ramadan by following the scent of charred meat wafting through the damp tropical air of Zanzibar .
One evening , I joined a maze of locals snaking through an open-air market .
The adhaan , or call to prayer , rang out from nearby mosques as families drifted from stall to stall , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fast : soul-warming bowls of urojo , Zanzibar “ pizzas , ” cups of freshly pressed sugarcane juice .
A year ago , I welcomed the month of Ramadan by following the scent of charred meat wafting through the damp tropical air of Zanzibar .
Most of the residents of the tiny archipelago off the coast of Tanzania are Muslim , and with the holy month colliding with the tempestuous beginning of Zanzibar ’ s rainy season , historic Stone Town was sodden with heavy cloudbursts and largely devoid of tourists .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a brief dry spell between storms , I joined a maze of locals snaking through the open-air Forodhani Market on Stone Town ’ s seafront .
The adhaan , or call to prayer , rang out from dozens of nearby mosques as families drifted from stall to stall , cobbling together a hearty iftar meal to break the fast : soul-warming bowls of urojo from one hawker , Zanzibar “ pizzas ” glistening under the fluorescent lights of another , cups of freshly pressed sugarcane juice to wash it all down .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ named Nassra invited me to her house for iftar , where I joined her family for a bountiful Zanzibari feast .
As a travel writer with an unpredictable schedule , out-of-town assignments occasionally send me far from home during Ramadan .
But whenever possible , I try to press pause for the holy month and settle into a familiar Ramadan routine in New York : nightly iftar dinners with friends , tarawih prayers at a rotating roster of mosques , and late-night hangouts that , on weekends , often end in gatherings at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diner for the pre-fast suhoor meal at dawn .
When I moved to a new apartment in January , I noted its proximity to Manhattan ’ s 96th Street mosque , envisioning easy walks home after tarawih prayers with friends during balmy summer evenings .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No paywall .
But this Ramadan , mosques stand eerily empty , and there are no carefree late-night strolls with friends .
Decadent iftars in Zanzibar are now a faint memory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the moon .
Ramadan is a deeply spiritual time meant for reflection and rejuvenation , but it ’ s also a largely communal month : The promise of restorative meals with close friends and family and inspiring sermons at overflowing mosques are an eagerly awaited salve after the hardships of a long fast .
When I have to travel , I do my best to soak in the month ’ s convivial energy in all its manifestations around the world : tracking down a mosque in Madrid to attend tarawih prayers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at homes in Zanzibar or Cape Town , or roaming the congested arteries surrounding the Charminar in Hyderabad , when the streets come alive after sunset with people slurping haleem or shopping for Eid clothes .
Like everyone else , I ’ ve spent the last few months adjusting to a bizarre new normal .
Gone are the thrills of exploring a seemingly limitless world , replaced by the monotony of circling every corner of my very finite New York apartment .
Part of Ramadan ’ s purpose is to revive a sense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve come to take for granted amid the inexorable rhythm of our daily lives .
Living under lockdown in the pandemic ’ s epicenter has led me to reminisce nostalgically over each unhurried grocery run , each mediocre brunch with a familiar face , even each congested subway commute .
As I ’ ve settled into a solitary Ramadan this year , that sense of lament is even more acute .
Each Ramadan I strive to reconsider the way I live , and contemplate my aspirations for the way I want to live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks before the sighting of the new moon marking the official start of the holy month on April 23 .
While Ramadan is the most social time of the year for many Muslims , in New York , where many of us live far from our families and venture into our pint-size kitchens only to decant our takeout meals , we rely on our friends and communities that much more .
My favorite Ramadan travel plan is the trip home to see my family in Boston , to overindulge on my mom ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eid prayers at my childhood mosque , where post-prayer doughnuts are as integral to my Eid festivities as the customary three hugs I exchange with everyone around me .
The iftar parties have gone virtual , but the allure of watching my friends scarf down pasta through a Zoom screen has run thin .
Fasts feel more exhausting this year , perhaps because there no longer are evening gatherings to look forward to .
I log on to lectures and prayers online , but it ’ s hard to focus without the collective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at mosques .
And while quarantine has brought me back into the habit of cooking every day , the prospect of iftar in solitude night after night doesn ’ t inspire me to make much effort in the kitchen to re-create my favorite Ramadan staples .
Though this may be my most challenging Ramadan yet , I marvel at the unlikely sense of community that ’ s emerged – unexpected people messaging me out of the blue , socially distant walks in the park with masked friends , and care packages arriving every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ checking in on friends I ’ ve made on my past travels all over the world .
Conversations with Muslims in Bosnia , Tunisia , and the United Kingdom all echo similar sentiments : We ’ re all missing the human connections we ’ ve come to take for granted , and we ’ re all taking things one day at a time .
As Ramadan winds down , the prospect of an isolated Eid looms quietly ahead .
How does celebration translate in isolation ?
What is an Eid without family , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ ll soon find out .
In the meantime , the forced weeks in solitude have had a meditative effect , giving me boundless stretches of time to contemplate my blessings — including all the memories that have made up my Ramadans past .
I know I ’ ll be that much more grateful the next time I ’ m able to share an iftar meal with strangers turned friends in far-flung lands .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No @ @

What happens when a pandemic forces a peripatetic travel writer to spend Ramadan in isolation in her New York apartment? Lessons from a Ramadan under lockdown.
Yet even under these circumstances, I marvel at the unlikely sense of community that’s emerged — people messaging me out of the blue, socially distant walks in the park with masked friends, and care packages arriving every day. Weeks in solitude have had a meditative effect, giving me stretches of time to contemplate my blessings — including all the memories that have made up my Ramadans past.
This year, mosques stand eerily empty and decadent iftars in Zanzibar are a faint memory. Like everyone else, I’ve spent the last few months adjusting to a bizarre new normal. Gone are the thrills of exploring a seemingly limitless world, replaced by the monotony of circling every corner of my very finite New York apartment.
A year ago, I welcomed the month of Ramadan by following the scent of charred meat wafting through the damp tropical air of Zanzibar. One evening, I joined a maze of locals snaking through an open-air market. The adhaan , or call to prayer, rang out from nearby mosques as families drifted from stall to stall, cobbling together an iftar meal to break the fast: soul-warming bowls of urojo , Zanzibar “pizzas,” cups of freshly pressed sugarcane juice.
A year ago, I welcomed the month of Ramadan by following the scent of charred meat wafting through the damp tropical air of Zanzibar. Most of the residents of the tiny archipelago off the coast of Tanzania are Muslim, and with the holy month colliding with the tempestuous beginning of Zanzibar’s rainy season, historic Stone Town was sodden with heavy cloudbursts and largely devoid of tourists.
On one particularly sticky evening, during a brief dry spell between storms, I joined a maze of locals snaking through the open-air Forodhani Market on Stone Town’s seafront. The adhaan, or call to prayer, rang out from dozens of nearby mosques as families drifted from stall to stall, cobbling together a hearty iftar meal to break the fast: soul-warming bowls of urojo from one hawker, Zanzibar “pizzas” glistening under the fluorescent lights of another, cups of freshly pressed sugarcane juice to wash it all down. A few nights later, a lovely woman named Nassra invited me to her house for iftar, where I joined her family for a bountiful Zanzibari feast.
As a travel writer with an unpredictable schedule, out-of-town assignments occasionally send me far from home during Ramadan. But whenever possible, I try to press pause for the holy month and settle into a familiar Ramadan routine in New York: nightly iftar dinners with friends, tarawih prayers at a rotating roster of mosques, and late-night hangouts that, on weekends, often end in gatherings at someone’s apartment or a nearby diner for the pre-fast suhoor meal at dawn. When I moved to a new apartment in January, I noted its proximity to Manhattan’s 96th Street mosque, envisioning easy walks home after tarawih prayers with friends during balmy summer evenings.
Why We Wrote This What happens when a pandemic forces a peripatetic travel writer to spend Ramadan in isolation in her New York apartment? Lessons from a Ramadan under lockdown.
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.
But this Ramadan, mosques stand eerily empty, and there are no carefree late-night strolls with friends. Decadent iftars in Zanzibar are now a faint memory, suddenly little more accessible than iftar on the moon.
Ramadan is a deeply spiritual time meant for reflection and rejuvenation, but it’s also a largely communal month: The promise of restorative meals with close friends and family and inspiring sermons at overflowing mosques are an eagerly awaited salve after the hardships of a long fast. When I have to travel, I do my best to soak in the month’s convivial energy in all its manifestations around the world: tracking down a mosque in Madrid to attend tarawih prayers, charming my way into delicious iftar dinners at homes in Zanzibar or Cape Town, or roaming the congested arteries surrounding the Charminar in Hyderabad, when the streets come alive after sunset with people slurping haleem or shopping for Eid clothes.
Like everyone else, I’ve spent the last few months adjusting to a bizarre new normal. Gone are the thrills of exploring a seemingly limitless world, replaced by the monotony of circling every corner of my very finite New York apartment.
Courtesy of Sarah Khan View caption Hide caption Reporter Sarah Khan explores the walled city of Harar in Ethiopia, often referred to as one of the holiest cities in Islam, in 2019. In the weeks leading up to Ramadan, residents repaint the city's walls in vibrant tones in anticipation of the holy month.
Part of Ramadan’s purpose is to revive a sense of appreciation for all that we’ve come to take for granted amid the inexorable rhythm of our daily lives. Living under lockdown in the pandemic’s epicenter has led me to reminisce nostalgically over each unhurried grocery run, each mediocre brunch with a familiar face, even each congested subway commute. As I’ve settled into a solitary Ramadan this year, that sense of lament is even more acute. Each Ramadan I strive to reconsider the way I live, and contemplate my aspirations for the way I want to live. This year, these epiphanies began weeks before the sighting of the new moon marking the official start of the holy month on April 23.
While Ramadan is the most social time of the year for many Muslims, in New York, where many of us live far from our families and venture into our pint-size kitchens only to decant our takeout meals, we rely on our friends and communities that much more. My favorite Ramadan travel plan is the trip home to see my family in Boston, to overindulge on my mom’s kheema samosas at iftar and attend Eid prayers at my childhood mosque, where post-prayer doughnuts are as integral to my Eid festivities as the customary three hugs I exchange with everyone around me.
The iftar parties have gone virtual, but the allure of watching my friends scarf down pasta through a Zoom screen has run thin. Fasts feel more exhausting this year, perhaps because there no longer are evening gatherings to look forward to. I log on to lectures and prayers online, but it’s hard to focus without the collective energy and sense of purpose I find at mosques. And while quarantine has brought me back into the habit of cooking every day, the prospect of iftar in solitude night after night doesn’t inspire me to make much effort in the kitchen to re-create my favorite Ramadan staples.
Though this may be my most challenging Ramadan yet, I marvel at the unlikely sense of community that’s emerged – unexpected people messaging me out of the blue, socially distant walks in the park with masked friends, and care packages arriving every day. I’ve also been checking in on friends I’ve made on my past travels all over the world. Conversations with Muslims in Bosnia, Tunisia, and the United Kingdom all echo similar sentiments: We’re all missing the human connections we’ve come to take for granted, and we’re all taking things one day at a time.
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empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
As Ramadan winds down, the prospect of an isolated Eid looms quietly ahead. How does celebration translate in isolation? What is an Eid without family, hugs, and doughnuts? I suppose I’ll soon find out. In the meantime, the forced weeks in solitude have had a meditative effect, giving me boundless stretches of time to contemplate my blessings — including all the memories that have made up my Ramadans past. I know I’ll be that much more grateful the next time I’m able to share an iftar meal with strangers turned friends in far-flung lands.
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.


csmonitor--2020-06-12--Points of Progress: Australian wildlife begins recovery, and more

The nation ’ s oldest law school has appointed its first black dean .
On July 1 , civil procedure and federal courts scholar A. Benjamin Spencer will take over as dean of William & Mary Law School .
The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg , Virginia , has never hired an African American dean to lead any school in its 327-year history .
For Mr. Spencer , breaking barriers has been a family tradition .
In 1986 , his father became the first African American federal judge in Virginia , and his grandfather was Notre Dame ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
President Katherine Rowe , who became the college ’ s first female president in 2018 , said Mr. Spencer “ brings that broad view of legal practice , together with a deep appreciation of the ethos of the citizen lawyer.
” ( Richmond Times-Dispatch ) Chile has published a new climate action plan , committing to cut fossil fuels around a “ social pillar ” framework that protects vulnerable groups .
As climate advocates around the world demand a “ green recovery ” from COVID-19 , many welcome Chile ’ s pledge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic recovery with environmental reform .
Chile is the second South American country to update its nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement .
The country aims to become carbon neutral by 2050 – no small challenge for an economy based on emission-heavy industries such as mining and agriculture – and to cut emissions from deforestation 25 % by 2030 .
Once Chile overcomes the coronavirus crisis , Environment Minister Carolina Schmidt said the country “ will enter a rehabilitation phase which must be sustainable.
” ( Thomson Reuters Foundation , The Guardian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ German parliament has approved legislation to allow rabbis to act as military chaplains for the first time since 1933 .
Before Adolf Hitler came to power , military rabbis were relatively common , but for nearly a century only Protestant or Roman Catholic chaplains have been allowed in the service .
The change is welcomed by lawmakers from all parties and Jewish groups .
“ Military rabbis will make their advice available to the Bundeswehr [ Germany ’ s armed forces ] as a whole , ” said Josef Schuster , president of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measure was introduced in December by Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer , who said she plans to introduce similar laws allowing imams and Christian Orthodox priests to also serve as religious leaders in the armed forces .
( Deutsche Welle ) The United Nations is working with communities in Malawi to help about 53,000 children with albinism safely attend school .
Since the program has been running , several participating districts report dropout rates have fallen to around 5 % .
Albino children often are kept at home by their parents out of fear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or killed because of misconceptions that albinos hold magical powers .
The Joint Program on Girls Education is working with schools , local leaders , and police to create more supportive learning environments and teach students how to protect themselves .
“ For any child , anywhere , education is not a luxury .
It ’ s a necessity and fundamental right regardless of their status , ” said Maria Jose Torres , the United Nations resident coordinator .
( UN News ) A koala has been born at the Australian Reptile Park @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time since the 2019-20 bushfires killed more than 1 billion animals nationwide .
Over 240 days , more than 13 million acres burned across New South Wales destroying thousands of homes and wildlife habitat .
The koala population was especially devastated , and wildlife parks are continuing to rehabilitate injured animals and work to fortify the next generation .
The new joey poked her head out of her mother ’ s pouch in a May 26 Facebook video posted by the Australian Reptile Park .
The post called the joey “ a sign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s native wildlife ” and announced her name : Ash .
( ABC , CNN ) The International Olympic Committee reports record high representation for women across its 30 commissions , continuing its trend toward parity .
Women now fill 47.7 % of its positions , up from 20 % in 2013 when the IOC began its commitment to advance gender equality .
The IOC also appointed two new female commission chairs : Eleven are now led by women .
Thailand ’ s Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul will chair the Culture and Olympic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ champion Zhang Hong will coordinate the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in South Korea .
“ There is always more that can be done , ” said IOC President Thomas Bach , “ and we can make progress only if we work on this together.
” ( Reuters , International Olympic Committee )

1. United States
The nation’s oldest law school has appointed its first black dean. On July 1, civil procedure and federal courts scholar A. Benjamin Spencer will take over as dean of William & Mary Law School. The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, has never hired an African American dean to lead any school in its 327-year history.
Ian Bradshaw/Courtesy of UVA Law School View caption Hide caption A. Benjamin Spencer
For Mr. Spencer, breaking barriers has been a family tradition. In 1986, his father became the first African American federal judge in Virginia, and his grandfather was Notre Dame’s first African American professor in Indiana. President Katherine Rowe, who became the college’s first female president in 2018, said Mr. Spencer “brings that broad view of legal practice, together with a deep appreciation of the ethos of the citizen lawyer.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Why We Wrote This This is more than feel-good news – it's where the world is making concrete progress. A roundup of positive stories to inspire you.
2. Chile
Chile has published a new climate action plan, committing to cut fossil fuels around a “social pillar” framework that protects vulnerable groups. As climate advocates around the world demand a “green recovery” from COVID-19, many welcome Chile’s pledge to focus on easing inequality and tying economic recovery with environmental reform. Chile is the second South American country to update its nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement. The country aims to become carbon neutral by 2050 – no small challenge for an economy based on emission-heavy industries such as mining and agriculture – and to cut emissions from deforestation 25% by 2030. Once Chile overcomes the coronavirus crisis, Environment Minister Carolina Schmidt said the country “will enter a rehabilitation phase which must be sustainable.” (Thomson Reuters Foundation, The Guardian)
3. Germany
In a unanimous vote, the German parliament has approved legislation to allow rabbis to act as military chaplains for the first time since 1933. Before Adolf Hitler came to power, military rabbis were relatively common, but for nearly a century only Protestant or Roman Catholic chaplains have been allowed in the service. The change is welcomed by lawmakers from all parties and Jewish groups. “Military rabbis will make their advice available to the Bundeswehr [Germany’s armed forces] as a whole,” said Josef Schuster, president of the German Jewish Central Council. The measure was introduced in December by Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who said she plans to introduce similar laws allowing imams and Christian Orthodox priests to also serve as religious leaders in the armed forces. (Deutsche Welle)
4. Malawi
The United Nations is working with communities in Malawi to help about 53,000 children with albinism safely attend school. Since the program has been running, several participating districts report dropout rates have fallen to around 5%. Albino children often are kept at home by their parents out of fear they will be kidnapped, attacked, or killed because of misconceptions that albinos hold magical powers.
Thoko Chikondi/AP View caption Hide caption Catherine Amidu (right) laughs with her friend Aishain in Machinga, Malawi, Feb. 9, 2020. Catherine faces risks because of her albinism.
The Joint Program on Girls Education is working with schools, local leaders, and police to create more supportive learning environments and teach students how to protect themselves. “For any child, anywhere, education is not a luxury. It’s a necessity and fundamental right regardless of their status,” said Maria Jose Torres, the United Nations resident coordinator. (UN News)
5. Australia
A koala has been born at the Australian Reptile Park in New South Wales for the first time since the 2019-20 bushfires killed more than 1 billion animals nationwide. Over 240 days, more than 13 million acres burned across New South Wales destroying thousands of homes and wildlife habitat. The koala population was especially devastated, and wildlife parks are continuing to rehabilitate injured animals and work to fortify the next generation. The new joey poked her head out of her mother’s pouch in a May 26 Facebook video posted by the Australian Reptile Park. The post called the joey “a sign of hope for the future of Australia’s native wildlife” and announced her name: Ash. (ABC, CNN)
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empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
Worldwide
The International Olympic Committee reports record high representation for women across its 30 commissions, continuing its trend toward parity. Women now fill 47.7% of its positions, up from 20% in 2013 when the IOC began its commitment to advance gender equality.
Denis Balibouse/Reuters View caption Hide caption The International Olympic Committee, headquartered in Switzerland, is close to reaching gender parity.
The IOC also appointed two new female commission chairs: Eleven are now led by women. Thailand’s Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul will chair the Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission, while former Chinese speedskating champion Zhang Hong will coordinate the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in South Korea. “There is always more that can be done,” said IOC President Thomas Bach, “and we can make progress only if we work on this together.” (Reuters, International Olympic Committee)


Daily for May 18, 2020

They ’ ve had no real customers since March .
Bills are overdue , and landlords need money again .
Savings are gone .
Tens of thousands of small independent New York City businesses are hunkered down , trying to find a way through the most punishing economic calamity in generations .
Many have already called it quits .
Unlike thousands of essential businesses in New York that have been limping through the coronavirus stay-at-home order , these nonessential shops have not opened their doors in two months .
While less populated areas of New York state began emerging from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their rollout will be on pause for some time .
Mayor Bill de Blasio said in early May that reopening the city “ is a few months away at a minimum , ” though last week he said nonessential businesses could begin opening in June if statistics continued to improve .
The timing is brutal .
Spring is the busiest season for many of these shuttered businesses , and they need these months to carry them through the rest of the year .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No paywall .
It ’ s unclear how many of New York ’ s small businesses have closed because of the coronavirus shelter-in , though anecdotal evidence based on a swath of Manhattan ’ s Upper East Side suggests it could be about half .
That mirrors national research that estimates COVID-19 has temporarily closed more than 40 % of businesses .
And another 3 % of restaurants and almost 2 % of other small companies are permanently closed .
Operating in one of the most competitive , expensive , regulated , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kept New York ’ s small-business owners up at night .
Now these barbers , antique shop proprietors , and bookstore owners must become instant experts on public health , new government regulations , and still-evolving consumer psychology .
There are other challenges : Six-foot distancing will mean a significant financial blow if businesses counted on crowds to survive .
And loyal customers may want to shop local , but may ultimately ditch the 10-person queue to shop online at home .
New York City has some 230,000 small and midsize businesses selling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , from handmade hats and custom acrylic furniture to sari material and sheet metal .
The question now is how many of these specialty shops can survive .
Even in a city of more than 8.3 million people , there ’ s only so much demand , given that unemployment could top 12 % this year and layoffs are likely to extend through March 2021 .
Thousands of local businesses – arguably the heart and soul of the city – may not survive the COVID-19 shutdown , says Jonathan Bowles , executive director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an independent think tank .
The first closures should be apparent by Aug. 20 , when the city ’ s temporary ban on evictions is expected to end .
“ It ’ s bad enough already , but unless these small businesses start making money soon , I just don ’ t know how they ’ re going to pay the bills , ” Mr. Bowles says .
Even before COVID-19 , many small businesses around the country were fragile and missed out on the decade-plus economic expansion .
According to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ banks , 30 % of firms with fewer than 500 employees last year were classified as “ at risk ” or “ distressed ” ; 64 % reported financial challenges during that time ; and 86 % said they would need to cut salaries , incur debt , or take other action if they missed two months of revenue .
Karen Dixon and her husband , Essam Moussa , are among those entrepreneurs who are up against it .
Long before the coronavirus temporarily closed their Upper West Side shoe store , The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been living month to month .
Generally , the middle of May would find The Shoe Tree packed with families , and the storeroom overflowing with some 400 pairs of shoes .
On average , they ’ d tally 40 sales a day .
Instead , the couple are cleaning their store , postponing deliveries , and hoping suppliers will have shoes whenever they reopen .
As in the rest of the state , businesses in the city ’ s five boroughs will roll out based on how essential they are and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Shoe stores and other retail are likely to be in the second wave of openings , after businesses like construction and manufacturing .
Regardless of when The Shoe Tree returns , Ms. Dixon worries about whether parents will bring their children .
She also fears a further push toward digital sales .
“ People are sitting at home online , working , so they can order shoes for their children online and not come into the store .
We have a big concern that our customers won ’ t come back .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that online direction , ” says Ms. Dixon , who is also a furloughed soprano in The Metropolitan Opera chorus .
When the store reopens , she says staff will institute protective measures such as wearing masks and sanitizing their hands after each customer .
She hopes new signs will strike the right tone between welcoming customers and reminding them that only a few shoppers will be allowed inside at once .
Spring is also a busy season for Pilates Reforming New York .
Any normal April would have 2,500 clients splayed out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abs and improving their balance .
Owner Ann Toran and her 18 instructors would be coaching the in-person classes at four studios seven days a week .
But by this April , the studios were all closed , and most instructors were collecting unemployment benefits .
Using Zoom , Ms. Toran was conducting mat classes from her New Jersey home studio , but just 433 clients had joined in .
They did isometric and floor exercises , rather than working out on a machine with pulleys .
When Ms. Toran and her husband @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopen the studios , they doubt revenues will sustain them .
“ Even if we were ready to rock-and-roll the first day we could open , that ’ s not necessarily what our clients ’ priorities will be , ” says Mr. Toran , a chiropractor .
“ They ’ re thinking , ‘ How do I survive ?
’ They ’ re not going to be thinking about exercise .
They ’ ll be thinking about [ their own ] food and rent.
” Like many small New York City businesses , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a financial cushion , thanks to high salaries , six-digit annual rent , hefty taxes , red tape , reinvestment in the business , and small margins .
In January , however , the year had been looking good : Lengthy renovations were done , and all four studios were running .
Now the Torans hope to stay afloat by Zoom teaching , online professional development , and the sale of used equipment they no longer need .
They ’ ve also canceled leases on two underperforming studios , thanks to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clause that lets tenants who are current on their rent pay a fee to quit their lease early .
As for the two locations the Torans are keeping , they paid what they could on one and are hoping for the best with the other .
Perhaps no single group of businesses has been hit as hard by lockdowns as have restaurants .
Estimates are that anywhere from 30 % to 75 % of the country ’ s independent eateries could fail before the economy recovers .
Two-thirds of American restaurant workers had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least 40 % of restaurants were closed , according to the National Restaurant Association .
Dine-in restaurant service is in the third of New York state ’ s four-stage reopening plan .
Hell ’ s Kitchen restaurateur Daniel Assaf closed on March 15 , and he has no idea when he might reopen the dining room at his fondue and tapas restaurant , Kashkaval Garden .
Unlike many local owners , he didn ’ t bother with takeout or delivery because he worried about the risk to staff .
Yet from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reopen soon .
“ Our chef is 59 .
I don ’ t want on my conscience that we opened too early , ” says Mr. Assaf , who has bought masks , gloves , and cleaning supplies and is considering using ultraviolet lights to disinfect the restaurant each night .
He says he expects to bring back a skeleton crew for takeout , delivery , and grab-and-go appetizers and salads .
The dining room will have less than half its former 60-person capacity .
Mr. Assaf does have one suggestion – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside dining areas on streets that have been closed during the pandemic and turned into pedestrian walkways .
Like most other restaurateurs , Mr. Assaf is underwater .
He owes more than half of April ’ s rent , all of May ’ s , and another $ 50,000 to $ 60,000 to companies that provide food , wine , and linens – though they are all working out terms .
Like colleagues across the nation , he says the Paycheck Protection Program needs to change so businesses can use more of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather than just staff .
For some restaurants , the way through COVID-19 is to go out of business .
Lower East Side restaurateur Stefan Jonot says that of the 300 or so local restaurant owners with whom he ’ s in touch , 20 % have either closed or are preparing to do so .
As for his Les Enfants de Bohème , the dining room may not open until September or later .
Even then , it would be at 40 % of its former capacity – and revenues .
Mr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ basis soon to sell family-style , heat-and-eat meals .
Chicken and sides for four will run about $ 50 .
Mr. Jonot needs the proceeds to help pay expenses , though he says he is current on the rent , thanks to crowdfunding .
For many establishments , the importance of flexibility has never been more apparent .
Logos Bookstore , a quaint , old-fashioned bookshop on a quiet strip on the East Side , has been in business for 25 years selling greeting cards , CDs , puzzles , and books .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s primarily a brick-and-mortar setup , but owner Harris Healy is trying to bump up its online exposure .
This month , Logos launched a virtual children ’ s story hour on Mondays , and it ’ s planning a similar book club for adults .
“ If you don ’ t have the right technology , you might as well throw in the towel .
Everything going forward in the world is going to be tech , ” says Mr. Healy , who sold about 40 books online in the past two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ store in a normal two months .
An online presence allowed the venerable Strand Book Store to reopen early .
After having been closed for five weeks , this granddaddy of New York ’ s independent bookstores began taking online orders on April 25 – weeks before any bookstore in the state was allowed to resume limited operations for on-site customers .
Despite the daunting challenges , many businesspeople are hardly ready to give up – such as contractor Aaron Bloom , whose Brooklyn company is Uncanny Creations .
He was sick with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and April .
But in the coming months , he ’ s hoping to get jobs from homebound workers who want designated nooks ( or walls ) where they can Zoom and do other tasks .
He figures if he can show he ’ s immune to COVID-19 , potential clients may prefer hiring him .
“ I recognize that this is not a scientifically proven claim yet , but there ’ s reason to be hopeful , ” he says .
“ That ’ s all I can do.
” Editor ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story about Mr. Jonot 's rent obligations has been updated .
As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No paywall .

An impossible comeback? The small New York shops trying to survive. Collapse
Kathy Willens/AP View caption Hide caption Two women walk past shuttered stores in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn during the coronavirus outbreak, May 11, 2020. While less populated areas of New York state began emerging from lockdown last Friday, New York City businesses know their rollout will be on pause for some time.
They’ve had no real customers since March. Bills are overdue, and landlords need money again. Savings are gone. Tens of thousands of small independent New York City businesses are hunkered down, trying to find a way through the most punishing economic calamity in generations. Many have already called it quits.
Unlike thousands of essential businesses in New York that have been limping through the coronavirus stay-at-home order, these nonessential shops have not opened their doors in two months.
While less populated areas of New York state began emerging from lockdown last Friday, city businesses know their rollout will be on pause for some time. Mayor Bill de Blasio said in early May that reopening the city “is a few months away at a minimum,” though last week he said nonessential businesses could begin opening in June if statistics continued to improve.
The timing is brutal. Spring is the busiest season for many of these shuttered businesses, and they need these months to carry them through the rest of the year.
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.
It’s unclear how many of New York’s small businesses have closed because of the coronavirus shelter-in, though anecdotal evidence based on a swath of Manhattan’s Upper East Side suggests it could be about half. That mirrors national research that estimates COVID-19 has temporarily closed more than 40% of businesses. And another 3% of restaurants and almost 2% of other small companies are permanently closed.
Operating in one of the most competitive, expensive, regulated, and taxed cities in the nation has long kept New York’s small-business owners up at night. Now these barbers, antique shop proprietors, and bookstore owners must become instant experts on public health, new government regulations, and still-evolving consumer psychology. There are other challenges: Six-foot distancing will mean a significant financial blow if businesses counted on crowds to survive. And loyal customers may want to shop local, but may ultimately ditch the 10-person queue to shop online at home.
New York City has some 230,000 small and midsize businesses selling just about anything that can be had, from handmade hats and custom acrylic furniture to sari material and sheet metal. The question now is how many of these specialty shops can survive. Even in a city of more than 8.3 million people, there’s only so much demand, given that unemployment could top 12% this year and layoffs are likely to extend through March 2021.
Thousands of local businesses – arguably the heart and soul of the city – may not survive the COVID-19 shutdown, says Jonathan Bowles, executive director of the Center for an Urban Future, an independent think tank. The first closures should be apparent by Aug. 20, when the city’s temporary ban on evictions is expected to end.
“It’s bad enough already, but unless these small businesses start making money soon, I just don’t know how they’re going to pay the bills,” Mr. Bowles says.
Mark Lennihan/AP View caption Hide caption Sara Gilmore poses in her Brooklyn hair salon in New York April 27, 2020. Since her salon was forced to close by the coronavirus, Ms. Gilmore is maintaining some business income by offering do-it-yourself color kits packed with clients' preferred formulas.
Even before COVID-19, many small businesses around the country were fragile and missed out on the decade-plus economic expansion. According to a new report by the regional Federal Reserve banks, 30% of firms with fewer than 500 employees last year were classified as “at risk” or “distressed”; 64% reported financial challenges during that time; and 86% said they would need to cut salaries, incur debt, or take other action if they missed two months of revenue.
Living month to month – pre-coronavirus
Karen Dixon and her husband, Essam Moussa, are among those entrepreneurs who are up against it. Long before the coronavirus temporarily closed their Upper West Side shoe store, The Shoe Tree, Ms. Dixon says they had been living month to month.
Generally, the middle of May would find The Shoe Tree packed with families, and the storeroom overflowing with some 400 pairs of shoes. On average, they’d tally 40 sales a day. Instead, the couple are cleaning their store, postponing deliveries, and hoping suppliers will have shoes whenever they reopen.
As in the rest of the state, businesses in the city’s five boroughs will roll out based on how essential they are and how much risk their opening would pose. Shoe stores and other retail are likely to be in the second wave of openings, after businesses like construction and manufacturing. Regardless of when The Shoe Tree returns, Ms. Dixon worries about whether parents will bring their children. She also fears a further push toward digital sales.
“People are sitting at home online, working, so they can order shoes for their children online and not come into the store. We have a big concern that our customers won’t come back. Situations like this really push consumers in that online direction,” says Ms. Dixon, who is also a furloughed soprano in The Metropolitan Opera chorus.
When the store reopens, she says staff will institute protective measures such as wearing masks and sanitizing their hands after each customer. She hopes new signs will strike the right tone between welcoming customers and reminding them that only a few shoppers will be allowed inside at once.
An elusive financial cushion
Spring is also a busy season for Pilates Reforming New York. Any normal April would have 2,500 clients splayed out on special reformer machines, strengthening their abs and improving their balance. Owner Ann Toran and her 18 instructors would be coaching the in-person classes at four studios seven days a week.
But by this April, the studios were all closed, and most instructors were collecting unemployment benefits. Using Zoom, Ms. Toran was conducting mat classes from her New Jersey home studio, but just 433 clients had joined in. They did isometric and floor exercises, rather than working out on a machine with pulleys.
When Ms. Toran and her husband, Errol Toran, are allowed to reopen the studios, they doubt revenues will sustain them.
“Even if we were ready to rock-and-roll the first day we could open, that’s not necessarily what our clients’ priorities will be,” says Mr. Toran, a chiropractor. “They’re thinking, ‘How do I survive?’ They’re not going to be thinking about exercise. They’ll be thinking about [their own] food and rent.”
Like many small New York City businesses, Pilates Reforming New York didn’t have a financial cushion, thanks to high salaries, six-digit annual rent, hefty taxes, red tape, reinvestment in the business, and small margins. In January, however, the year had been looking good: Lengthy renovations were done, and all four studios were running. Now the Torans hope to stay afloat by Zoom teaching, online professional development, and the sale of used equipment they no longer need.
They’ve also canceled leases on two underperforming studios, thanks to a so-called good guy (or gal) clause that lets tenants who are current on their rent pay a fee to quit their lease early. As for the two locations the Torans are keeping, they paid what they could on one and are hoping for the best with the other.
The view from Hell’s Kitchen
Perhaps no single group of businesses has been hit as hard by lockdowns as have restaurants. Estimates are that anywhere from 30% to 75% of the country’s independent eateries could fail before the economy recovers. Two-thirds of American restaurant workers had been laid off by mid-April, and at least 40% of restaurants were closed, according to the National Restaurant Association. Dine-in restaurant service is in the third of New York state’s four-stage reopening plan.
Hell’s Kitchen restaurateur Daniel Assaf closed on March 15, and he has no idea when he might reopen the dining room at his fondue and tapas restaurant, Kashkaval Garden. Unlike many local owners, he didn’t bother with takeout or delivery because he worried about the risk to staff. Yet from a financial standpoint, he knows he needs to reopen soon.
“Our chef is 59. I don’t want on my conscience that we opened too early,” says Mr. Assaf, who has bought masks, gloves, and cleaning supplies and is considering using ultraviolet lights to disinfect the restaurant each night.
He says he expects to bring back a skeleton crew for takeout, delivery, and grab-and-go appetizers and salads. The dining room will have less than half its former 60-person capacity. Mr. Assaf does have one suggestion – that the city allow restaurants to open outside dining areas on streets that have been closed during the pandemic and turned into pedestrian walkways.
Like most other restaurateurs, Mr. Assaf is underwater. He owes more than half of April’s rent, all of May’s, and another $50,000 to $60,000 to companies that provide food, wine, and linens – though they are all working out terms. Like colleagues across the nation, he says the Paycheck Protection Program needs to change so businesses can use more of the proceeds to pay landlords and suppliers, rather than just staff.
For some restaurants, the way through COVID-19 is to go out of business.
Lower East Side restaurateur Stefan Jonot says that of the 300 or so local restaurant owners with whom he’s in touch, 20% have either closed or are preparing to do so. As for his Les Enfants de Bohème, the dining room may not open until September or later. Even then, it would be at 40% of its former capacity – and revenues.
Mr. Jonot plans to open on a limited basis soon to sell family-style, heat-and-eat meals. Chicken and sides for four will run about $50. Mr. Jonot needs the proceeds to help pay expenses, though he says he is current on the rent, thanks to crowdfunding.
Andrew Hohmann View caption Hide caption Logos Bookstore owner Harris Healy says he wants to increase his establishment's online presence, at his store on April 23, 2020. This month, Logos launched a virtual children’s story hour on Mondays, and it’s planning a similar book club for adults.
The importance of flexibility
For many establishments, the importance of flexibility has never been more apparent. Logos Bookstore, a quaint, old-fashioned bookshop on a quiet strip on the East Side, has been in business for 25 years selling greeting cards, CDs, puzzles, and books. Like many independent companies, it’s primarily a brick-and-mortar setup, but owner Harris Healy is trying to bump up its online exposure. This month, Logos launched a virtual children’s story hour on Mondays, and it’s planning a similar book club for adults.
“If you don’t have the right technology, you might as well throw in the towel. Everything going forward in the world is going to be tech,” says Mr. Healy, who sold about 40 books online in the past two months, compared with 500 in the store in a normal two months.
An online presence allowed the venerable Strand Book Store to reopen early. After having been closed for five weeks, this granddaddy of New York’s independent bookstores began taking online orders on April 25 – weeks before any bookstore in the state was allowed to resume limited operations for on-site customers.
Despite the daunting challenges, many businesspeople are hardly ready to give up – such as contractor Aaron Bloom, whose Brooklyn company is Uncanny Creations. He was sick with the coronavirus for three weeks in March and April. But in the coming months, he’s hoping to get jobs from homebound workers who want designated nooks (or walls) where they can Zoom and do other tasks. He figures if he can show he’s immune to COVID-19, potential clients may prefer hiring him.
“I recognize that this is not a scientifically proven claim yet, but there’s reason to be hopeful,” he says. “That’s all I can do.”
Editor’s note: The part of this story about Mr. Jonot's rent obligations has been updated.
As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.


csmonitor--2020-05-13--COVID-19 brings new threat to journalists: jail

It remains to be seen whether such governments ease up when the pandemic has passed .
But they face one question in common with the United States : Will the political battles waged under the pressure of the pandemic lead to lasting changes ?
Ethiopian reporter Yayesew Shimelis was locked up for reporting that the authorities were preparing tens of thousands of gravesites for pandemic victims .
In Turkey , Fox News anchor Fatih Portakal was jailed for suggesting tax hikes might have been needed to fund the government ’ s response .
From Turkey to China , from Egypt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , governments have locked up journalists for reporting on COVID-19 in ways that displeased them .
But worldwide , it is journalists who are suffering the bluntest attacks on their freedom , especially when they live in fragile democracies or under autocratic regimes .
Some people are worried about their privacy if tracking apps to locate carriers become widespread .
Others , especially in the United States , dispute the government ’ s right to enforce safety rules .
Around the world , COVID-19 is giving age-old philosophical questions real-life relevance .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an age of pandemic .
You may not have heard of Fatih Portakal or Chen Mei , Anna Shushpanova or Ruth Michaelson , Darvison Rojas or Yayesew Shimelis .
But they ’ re living examples of how the COVID-19 pandemic is transforming age-old philosophical questions into real-life issues around the world .
The latest : the nature of freedom in the age of the coronavirus .
Different nations are confronting this in different ways .
Even some democracies , like the United States , are still grappling for an answer – a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could color political life for long after the pandemic is over .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No paywall .
But for Fatih Portakal and others , from Asia and Africa to Europe and Latin America , the outcome seems already clear , and the picture much starker .
They are journalists , working for established newspapers or broadcasters , or as citizen reporters on social media .
They live and work under fragile democracies or autocratic regimes where basic freedoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – and the rule of law were already tenuous .
And from the outset of the pandemic , it has become clear that constraints on all these fronts were tightening .
In nondemocratic states , no less than in democratic ones , the existence of a public health emergency made some limitations – on public gatherings , for instance – nearly inevitable .
Even in democracies , some explicitly coronavirus-related balances are having to be struck , as my Monitor colleague , Eoin O ’ Carroll , explored a few days ago in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surveillance .
Yet the main battleground for Mr. Portakal and other journalists hasn ’ t been about such trade-offs .
It has involved efforts simply to provide reliable information about the virus , and about failures or oversights in their governments ’ actions to limit its spread .
Mr. Portakal works in Turkey , which , under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan , already has more journalists in jail than any place but China .
Mr. Erdoğan made his answer to the “ rights versus emergency ” question clear in March .
The government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of prisoners for health reasons ; it excluded all jailed journalists .
Last month , police arrested Mr. Portakal – news anchor for Fox TV in Turkey – after he suggested tax hikes might be imposed to help fund the response to COVID-19 .
Journalists have also been facing sanctions or restraints on reporting in dozens of countries .
Those range from Ethiopia , where Yayesew Shimelis was arrested after reporting that the authorities were preparing tens of thousands of gravesites in anticipation of deaths from the virus , to Venezuela , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a dozen journalists detained while reporting on the outbreak .
In Egypt , as in Turkey , even before the pandemic , hundreds of journalists and political prisoners were behind bars .
And President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi signaled his intentions even earlier than Mr. Erdoğan .
In mid-March , the Egyptian authorities forced Ruth Michaelson , a correspondent for Britain ’ s Guardian newspaper , to leave after she reported on a research study suggesting they were understating the number of cases .
Of particular concern for rights activists , Egypt ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Sisi widened powers to detain suspects indefinitely .
Last week , a “ terrorism court ” extended pretrial detention for more than 1,600 inmates , including many arrested on political grounds , according to Amnesty International .
In Europe , the emergency has given Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his self-described “ illiberal democracy ” an open-ended authority to rule by decree .
He had already been reining in the judiciary and the news media .
China and Russia have also shown they ’ re determined to punish journalists for coverage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In China , Chen Mei is one of five citizen journalists detained after disseminating information about the spread of the disease .
Two of them had produced independent reports on the initial outbreak in Wuhan .
In Russia , President Vladimir Putin last month signed a law allowing fines or jail terms for people publishing what the authorities deem to be false information on the pandemic .
A few days later , police searched the apartment of Anna Shushpanova , a political activist in St. Petersburg , confiscating her phone and computer .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents ’ concerns in Sestroretsk , a few miles to the northwest , over what they saw as inadequate quarantine precautions at a local hospital .
There is no danger in democracies like the United States of a crackdown on freedom of expression prompted by COVID-19 .
But even in the U.S. the pandemic and the controversy surrounding the federal government ’ s response have caused strains .
President Donald Trump has ramped up his attacks on critical media coverage , assailing it as “ fake news ” produced by by “ terrible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the health emergency and personal freedoms has also been intensifying .
Mr. Trump ’ s supporters have taken the lead in protesting against state governors ’ shutdowns as an assault on their individual prerogative to live , work , and interact with others as they choose .
For now , that philosophical debate is being overshadowed by a partisan battle over the Trump administration ’ s response and the national elections in November .
But one thing the U.S. does share with less democratic states is a longer-term question : whether political battles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergency will lead to lasting political changes in a post-pandemic world .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No paywall .

It remains to be seen whether such governments ease up when the pandemic has passed. But they face one question in common with the United States: Will the political battles waged under the pressure of the pandemic lead to lasting changes?
Ethiopian reporter Yayesew Shimelis was locked up for reporting that the authorities were preparing tens of thousands of gravesites for pandemic victims. In Turkey, Fox News anchor Fatih Portakal was jailed for suggesting tax hikes might have been needed to fund the government’s response.
From Turkey to China, from Egypt to Venezuela, from Ethiopia to Russia, governments have locked up journalists for reporting on COVID-19 in ways that displeased them.
But worldwide, it is journalists who are suffering the bluntest attacks on their freedom, especially when they live in fragile democracies or under autocratic regimes.
COVID-19 has raised many questions about the nature of freedom. But few people are having to face them as brutally as the journalists around the world who have been locked up for reporting on the pandemic.
Some people are worried about their privacy if tracking apps to locate carriers become widespread. Others, especially in the United States, dispute the government’s right to enforce safety rules.
Around the world, COVID-19 is giving age-old philosophical questions real-life relevance. The latest example? The nature of freedom in an age of pandemic.
You may not have heard of Fatih Portakal or Chen Mei, Anna Shushpanova or Ruth Michaelson, Darvison Rojas or Yayesew Shimelis.
But they’re living examples of how the COVID-19 pandemic is transforming age-old philosophical questions into real-life issues around the world. The latest: the nature of freedom in the age of the coronavirus.
Different nations are confronting this in different ways. Even some democracies, like the United States, are still grappling for an answer – a debate all the more important because it could color political life for long after the pandemic is over.
Why We Wrote This COVID-19 has raised many questions about the nature of freedom. But few people are having to face them as brutally as the journalists around the world who have been locked up for reporting on the pandemic.
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.
But for Fatih Portakal and others, from Asia and Africa to Europe and Latin America, the outcome seems already clear, and the picture much starker.
They are journalists, working for established newspapers or broadcasters, or as citizen reporters on social media. They live and work under fragile democracies or autocratic regimes where basic freedoms – of expression, information, conscience – and the rule of law were already tenuous. And from the outset of the pandemic, it has become clear that constraints on all these fronts were tightening.
In nondemocratic states, no less than in democratic ones, the existence of a public health emergency made some limitations – on public gatherings, for instance – nearly inevitable. Even in democracies, some explicitly coronavirus-related balances are having to be struck, as my Monitor colleague, Eoin O’Carroll, explored a few days ago in his look at the role of smartphone surveillance.
Yet the main battleground for Mr. Portakal and other journalists hasn’t been about such trade-offs. It has involved efforts simply to provide reliable information about the virus, and about failures or oversights in their governments’ actions to limit its spread.
Mr. Portakal works in Turkey, which, under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, already has more journalists in jail than any place but China. Mr. Erdoğan made his answer to the “rights versus emergency” question clear in March. The government announced its intention to release a large number of prisoners for health reasons; it excluded all jailed journalists. Last month, police arrested Mr. Portakal – news anchor for Fox TV in Turkey – after he suggested tax hikes might be imposed to help fund the response to COVID-19.
Journalists have also been facing sanctions or restraints on reporting in dozens of countries. Those range from Ethiopia, where Yayesew Shimelis was arrested after reporting that the authorities were preparing tens of thousands of gravesites in anticipation of deaths from the virus, to Venezuela, where Darvison Rojas is one of nearly a dozen journalists detained while reporting on the outbreak.
In Egypt, as in Turkey, even before the pandemic, hundreds of journalists and political prisoners were behind bars. And President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi signaled his intentions even earlier than Mr. Erdoğan. In mid-March, the Egyptian authorities forced Ruth Michaelson, a correspondent for Britain’s Guardian newspaper, to leave after she reported on a research study suggesting they were understating the number of cases.
Of particular concern for rights activists, Egypt’s parliament has now approved emergency legislation giving President Sisi widened powers to detain suspects indefinitely. Last week, a “terrorism court” extended pretrial detention for more than 1,600 inmates, including many arrested on political grounds, according to Amnesty International.
In Europe, the emergency has given Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his self-described “illiberal democracy” an open-ended authority to rule by decree. He had already been reining in the judiciary and the news media.
China and Russia have also shown they’re determined to punish journalists for coverage of their response to the pandemic. In China, Chen Mei is one of five citizen journalists detained after disseminating information about the spread of the disease. Two of them had produced independent reports on the initial outbreak in Wuhan.
In Russia, President Vladimir Putin last month signed a law allowing fines or jail terms for people publishing what the authorities deem to be false information on the pandemic. A few days later, police searched the apartment of Anna Shushpanova, a political activist in St. Petersburg, confiscating her phone and computer. She’d posted a report on residents’ concerns in Sestroretsk, a few miles to the northwest, over what they saw as inadequate quarantine precautions at a local hospital.
There is no danger in democracies like the United States of a crackdown on freedom of expression prompted by COVID-19. But even in the U.S. the pandemic and the controversy surrounding the federal government’s response have caused strains.
President Donald Trump has ramped up his attacks on critical media coverage, assailing it as “fake news” produced by by “terrible” journalists.
A particular tension between the health emergency and personal freedoms has also been intensifying. Mr. Trump’s supporters have taken the lead in protesting against state governors’ shutdowns as an assault on their individual prerogative to live, work, and interact with others as they choose.
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For now, that philosophical debate is being overshadowed by a partisan battle over the Trump administration’s response and the national elections in November. But one thing the U.S. does share with less democratic states is a longer-term question: whether political battles waged under the pressure of the COVID-19 emergency will lead to lasting political changes in a post-pandemic world.
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.


csmonitor--2020-05-12--A taste of Brexit: Virus locks out UK migrant farm workers

Britain 's fruit and vegetable farmers have long dreaded their country 's exit from the European Union , worrying that it would keep out the tens of thousands of Eastern European workers who come every year to pick produce .
Now , the coronavirus pandemic has brought that feared future to the present : Travel restrictions imposed to slow the virus ' spread are blocking laborers just as the harvest season for lettuces and berries begins in earnest .
In June , 1 million heads of lettuce will need to be picked in Britain every day , then trimmed and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and before they wilt .
It takes experience and a lot of hands .
Without the necessary workforce , crops could be left to rot and growers may eventually decide to move some of their operations overseas , farmers warn .
`` It may be a foretaste of what next year will look like , '' said Jack Ward , chief executive of the British Growers Association .
`` Except that if the economy picks up again , we 'll get to the situation where there is n't even the unemployment to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eastern Europe .
We 'll have to move production to where the workers are . ''
Britain – which grows over 50 % of its vegetables and just under 20 % of the fruit – is heavily reliant on seasonal farm workers from abroad .
An estimated 70,000 to 90,000 people are needed between April and October each year to plant , pick , and pack the produce .
The overwhelming majority come from Eastern Europe , most just for the season before returning home .
Britons make up just 1 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from EU states Romania , Bulgaria , and Poland return year after year , and are highly valued by farmers for their skill and speed .
But with most flights grounded , only about a third of the migrant workers who would normally be in Britain are there , according to Environment Secretary George Eustice .
`` Normally we would have 12 to 16 Polish workers here in the spring .
Only four of our team made it , and they arrived before lockdown , '' said Ali Capper , who grows apples @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family farm in Worcestershire , western England .
`` For the harvest in September we will need about 70 people .
I do n't know where they 're going to come from at the moment . ''
The problem is most urgent for asparagus and lettuce farmers , whose crops are ready for harvest soon .
One large salad producer , G 's Growers , resorted to booking a 40,000-pound ( $ 49,000 ) charter flight to fly in 150 Romanian workers in April to pick the vegetables and help train less experienced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flight said it 's fielded many similar calls from other British farms desperate for labor .
Since mid-April , Air Charter Service has flown in 1,200 passengers from Romania to meet the needs of farms , said Matt Purton , director of commercial jets for the company .
Britain 's government says it is acutely aware of the problem , and has expanded a temporary workers program to allow 10,000 migrants from outside the EU – mainly from Ukraine , Russia , and Moldova – to work on British farms .
But air @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and it 's unclear how many have arrived under that program .
Even if it reached its goal , that would still leave farms tens of thousands of workers short , so the government also headed a `` Pick for Britain '' hiring campaign in a bid to attract Britons to farms .
Officials have urged millions of people who have been furloughed or unemployed during the pandemic to help with the harvest .
Recruiters say the response from Britons has been enthusiastic , but nowhere near solving the problem .
Concordia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , says up to late April , 55,000 people applied for farm positions , but just 150 took up job offers .
Many who explicitly rejected the roles cited the difficulty of traveling to the farms or the length of contracts as factors that put them off .
Ms. Capper , who is also the National Farmers ' Union spokeswoman for horticulture , stressed that while she supports hiring British workers , `` anyone who suggests that as a long term solution is just not being realistic . ''
`` It 's hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and it 's seasonal , '' she said .
`` You have to be prepared to follow that work around the country to different crops and that really does n't suit people who need to pay the rent or mortgage . ''
What farmers really need , she said , is clarity from the British government about its immigration plans after Dec. 31 , when the current Brexit transition period ends and , with it , freedom of movement for EU citizens to Britain .
Until that date , EU citizens are allowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without any restrictions , just as they did when the U.K. belonged to the union .
But from 2021 , people from the bloc seeking to work in Britain will likely need to meet the same requirements as any other immigrants .
But the rules have not yet been finalized , and that uncertainty is weighing on farmers .
Mr. Ward , of the British Growers Association , said the June lettuce harvest – when pickers need to meet high standards for a very high volume of crop – illustrates why farmers need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got to get them trimmed , chilled , transported .
When you pick one up at the retailer it 's got to be perfect , '' he said .
`` Trying to do that with an enthusiastic but relatively inexperienced workforce is , shall we say , difficult . ''
With Brexit on the horizon , these changes were always coming , but the pandemic has made growers confront them sooner – while also trying to plan for the long term .
This story was reported by The Associated Press .
Editor ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage .
It ’ s free .

Britain's fruit and vegetable farmers have long dreaded their country's exit from the European Union, worrying that it would keep out the tens of thousands of Eastern European workers who come every year to pick produce.
Now, the coronavirus pandemic has brought that feared future to the present: Travel restrictions imposed to slow the virus' spread are blocking laborers just as the harvest season for lettuces and berries begins in earnest.
In June, 1 million heads of lettuce will need to be picked in Britain every day, then trimmed and transported to supermarkets – all without bruising and before they wilt. It takes experience and a lot of hands.
Without the necessary workforce, crops could be left to rot and growers may eventually decide to move some of their operations overseas, farmers warn.
"It may be a foretaste of what next year will look like," said Jack Ward, chief executive of the British Growers Association. "Except that if the economy picks up again, we'll get to the situation where there isn't even the unemployment to make good the shortfall of people coming from Eastern Europe. We'll have to move production to where the workers are."
Britain – which grows over 50% of its vegetables and just under 20% of the fruit – is heavily reliant on seasonal farm workers from abroad. An estimated 70,000 to 90,000 people are needed between April and October each year to plant, pick, and pack the produce.
The overwhelming majority come from Eastern Europe, most just for the season before returning home. Britons make up just 1% of the workers.
Many of the migrants from EU states Romania, Bulgaria, and Poland return year after year, and are highly valued by farmers for their skill and speed.
But with most flights grounded, only about a third of the migrant workers who would normally be in Britain are there, according to Environment Secretary George Eustice.
"Normally we would have 12 to 16 Polish workers here in the spring. Only four of our team made it, and they arrived before lockdown," said Ali Capper, who grows apples and hops with her husband at their family farm in Worcestershire, western England. "For the harvest in September we will need about 70 people. I don't know where they're going to come from at the moment."
The problem is most urgent for asparagus and lettuce farmers, whose crops are ready for harvest soon. One large salad producer, G's Growers, resorted to booking a 40,000-pound ($49,000) charter flight to fly in 150 Romanian workers in April to pick the vegetables and help train less experienced recruits.
The company that operated the flight said it's fielded many similar calls from other British farms desperate for labor. Since mid-April, Air Charter Service has flown in 1,200 passengers from Romania to meet the needs of farms, said Matt Purton, director of commercial jets for the company.
Britain's government says it is acutely aware of the problem, and has expanded a temporary workers program to allow 10,000 migrants from outside the EU – mainly from Ukraine, Russia, and Moldova – to work on British farms.
But air travel remains difficult and often expensive, and it's unclear how many have arrived under that program. Even if it reached its goal, that would still leave farms tens of thousands of workers short, so the government also headed a "Pick for Britain" hiring campaign in a bid to attract Britons to farms. Officials have urged millions of people who have been furloughed or unemployed during the pandemic to help with the harvest.
Recruiters say the response from Britons has been enthusiastic, but nowhere near solving the problem.
Concordia, a leading recruiter of seasonal farm workers, says up to late April, 55,000 people applied for farm positions, but just 150 took up job offers. Many who explicitly rejected the roles cited the difficulty of traveling to the farms or the length of contracts as factors that put them off.
Ms. Capper, who is also the National Farmers' Union spokeswoman for horticulture, stressed that while she supports hiring British workers, "anyone who suggests that as a long term solution is just not being realistic."
"It's hard physical work, it's temporary, and it's seasonal," she said. "You have to be prepared to follow that work around the country to different crops and that really doesn't suit people who need to pay the rent or mortgage."
What farmers really need, she said, is clarity from the British government about its immigration plans after Dec. 31, when the current Brexit transition period ends and, with it, freedom of movement for EU citizens to Britain. Until that date, EU citizens are allowed to travel to and work in Britain without any restrictions, just as they did when the U.K. belonged to the union. But from 2021, people from the bloc seeking to work in Britain will likely need to meet the same requirements as any other immigrants.
But the rules have not yet been finalized, and that uncertainty is weighing on farmers.
Mr. Ward, of the British Growers Association, said the June lettuce harvest – when pickers need to meet high standards for a very high volume of crop – illustrates why farmers need a reliable workforce.
"You've got to get them trimmed, chilled, transported. When you pick one up at the retailer it's got to be perfect," he said. "Trying to do that with an enthusiastic but relatively inexperienced workforce is, shall we say, difficult."
With Brexit on the horizon, these changes were always coming, but the pandemic has made growers confront them sooner – while also trying to plan for the long term.
"It's a total double whammy," said Ms. Capper.
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This story was reported by The Associated Press.
Editor’s note: As a public service, the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage. It’s free.


csmonitor--2020-05-14--For ‘grandfluencers,’ age isn’t a social media hindrance – it’s a hook

“ You have no idea how much happiness you bring to my life , ” writes one viewer .
“ You and Tata are a paragon of love , and you , Miguelito , are a huge example of how we should be with our elderly.
” For her part , she has said he has helped her tolerate this time of isolation .
When he puts on the red flamenco dress and a blond wig , she erupts : “ You kill me with your youth !
” Mr. Muñoz moved in with Tata , who cared for him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her during lockdown .
She lived through the Spanish Civil War and World War II , and has authority about how to endure hardship .
Tata is one of many figures of advanced age to become a social media sensation lately .
Indeed , while older people have often been portrayed as vulnerable , weak , or lonely during the pandemic , they have also become examples of life and resilience .
In the Instagram Live show # CuarenTata , 95-year-old Luisa Cantero Sanchez , better known as Tata , reads haltingly off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Miguel Ángel Muñoz , her great-nephew and co-star , then begin chatting and laughing , the love the two share emanating from every interaction .
She ’ s not your typical social media influencer .
But in atypical times under strict quarantine , Spain has turned to Luisa Cantero Sanchez , better known as “ Tata , ” for their dose of daily escape .
“ I ’ m 95 years old , and I ’ ve adopted technology to help us stay in our houses to fight the coronavirus , ” reads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 106,000 followers since the show # CuarenTata began this spring .
Each afternoon , she and her millennial great nephew , the Spanish actor Miguel Ángel Muñoz , do an Instagram Live together , dancing , singing , and laughing , and always holding a minute of silence for those lost to and fighting the pandemic .
In a recent episode – their 44th – she is dressed in a string of pearls and a flowery blouse and begins the show with a sign of the cross .
Her nephew clicks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off a script , as she does every day , welcoming viewers .
The love the two share emanates from every interaction , no matter how silly .
When he dresses up as a flamenco dancer , her head goes back in laughter , and she takes out a handkerchief to wipe her eyes .
The adulation comes pouring in .
“ This is the best part of my afternoon , ” crows one Instagram follower .
Another , in all caps , sums it up : “ TATA , YOU ARE THE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of many figures of advanced age to become a social media sensation lately .
Indeed , while older adults have often been portrayed as vulnerable , weak , or lonely during the pandemic – the image of residents peering out of nursing homes will surely become iconic – they have also gained space as voices of authority , positivity , and resilience .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No paywall .
Many had become influencers before this , part of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ baddiewinkle in the U.S. , who has 3.8 million followers and whose Instagram profile reads “ Stealing ur man since 1928 !
!
, ” or Taiwan ’ s stylish @ moonlin0106 .
Others have attracted followers for simply sharing the quotidian routine of aging , from “ Grandma Pat ” in the U.S. to Geoffrey and Pauline Walker in the United Kingdom , who say they have received so many interview requests they declined this one .
The couple today document their quarantine , from boiling noodles to putting out laundry .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for tea and Victoria sponge cake .
One of the most famous grandmotherly figures to emerge in this crisis is “ Nonna Rosetta ” from southern Italy , who with humor and no nonsense doled out advice in a video that went viral .
Sitting in her kitchen , the 87-year-old exhorted : “ Suggestion No .
1 : You have to wash your hands .
Is this news ?
” she says , irked .
“ I ’ ve asked you so many times : ‘ Did you wash your hands ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” It reached 23,000 people around the globe and was translated into English , Russian , Chinese , Portuguese , Romanian , and Spanish .
Renata Perongini , a writer with the Naples-based production company Casa Surace , which produced the video , says that although Nonna Rosetta is a comedic character , the woman behind her , Rosetta Rinaldi , is your typical Italian grandmother ; Ms. Perongini has known her since she was a kid .
“ By having Nonna Rosetta at home , in her kitchen , sitting on her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we tried to share a message that is both serious and reassuring , to be truly listened to because you recognize Grandma has enough experience , and wisdom , to be listened to , ” she says .
Shir Shimoni , a Ph.D. candidate focusing on representations of older people in popular culture at King ’ s College London , says that despite representations of positivism , health , autonomy , and even entrepreneurship by “ grandfluencers , ” there is a part of society that doesn ’ t want the responsibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state , to care for older people .
She warns that the rise of grandfluencers may in part be a tacit celebration of those among the elderly – statistically the most vulnerable demographic in the pandemic – who don ’ t require society ’ s care .
Still , she agrees today ’ s figures are “ endearing , and even powerful ; there is a sense of agency.
” And part of that lies in the intergenerationality at play .
Mr. Muñoz , the actor , has told local media he moved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him as a child , to care for her during lockdown .
She was a cleaner for most of her working life , and lived through the Spanish Civil War and World War II , and has authority about how to endure hardship .
For her part , she has said he has helped her tolerate this time of isolation .
In Episode 44 , when he puts on the red flamenco dress and a blond wig , she erupts : “ You kill me with your youth !
” He takes her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ You have no idea how much happiness you bring to my life , ” writes one viewer as the improvisation plays out .
“ You and Tata are a paragon of love , and you , Miguelito , are a huge example of how we should be with our elderly .
A huge example.
” Editor ’ s note : As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No paywall .

“You have no idea how much happiness you bring to my life,” writes one viewer. “You and Tata are a paragon of love, and you, Miguelito, are a huge example of how we should be with our elderly.”
For her part, she has said he has helped her tolerate this time of isolation. When he puts on the red flamenco dress and a blond wig, she erupts: “You kill me with your youth!”
Mr. Muñoz moved in with Tata, who cared for him as a child, to care for her during lockdown. She lived through the Spanish Civil War and World War II, and has authority about how to endure hardship.
Amid the coronavirus lockdown, older people have widely been seen as something to be shielded from harm. But thanks to social media, some are also offering their experience as voices of authority and positivity.
Tata is one of many figures of advanced age to become a social media sensation lately. Indeed, while older people have often been portrayed as vulnerable, weak, or lonely during the pandemic, they have also become examples of life and resilience.
In the Instagram Live show #CuarenTata, 95-year-old Luisa Cantero Sanchez, better known as Tata, reads haltingly off a script welcoming viewers. She and Miguel Ángel Muñoz, her great-nephew and co-star, then begin chatting and laughing, the love the two share emanating from every interaction.
She’s not your typical social media influencer. But in atypical times under strict quarantine, Spain has turned to Luisa Cantero Sanchez, better known as “Tata,” for their dose of daily escape.
“I’m 95 years old, and I’ve adopted technology to help us stay in our houses to fight the coronavirus,” reads her Instagram profile, which has attracted more than 106,000 followers since the show #CuarenTata began this spring. Each afternoon, she and her millennial great nephew, the Spanish actor Miguel Ángel Muñoz, do an Instagram Live together, dancing, singing, and laughing, and always holding a minute of silence for those lost to and fighting the pandemic.
In a recent episode – their 44th – she is dressed in a string of pearls and a flowery blouse and begins the show with a sign of the cross. Her nephew clicks a clapperboard, and Tata reads haltingly off a script, as she does every day, welcoming viewers. The love the two share emanates from every interaction, no matter how silly. When he dresses up as a flamenco dancer, her head goes back in laughter, and she takes out a handkerchief to wipe her eyes. The adulation comes pouring in. “This is the best part of my afternoon,” crows one Instagram follower. Another, in all caps, sums it up: “TATA, YOU ARE THE SOLACE OF SPAIN.”
Why We Wrote This Amid the coronavirus lockdown, older people have widely been seen as something to be shielded from harm. But thanks to social media, some are also offering their experience as voices of authority and positivity.
Tata is one of many figures of advanced age to become a social media sensation lately. Indeed, while older adults have often been portrayed as vulnerable, weak, or lonely during the pandemic – the image of residents peering out of nursing homes will surely become iconic – they have also gained space as voices of authority, positivity, and resilience.
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.
Many had become influencers before this, part of the age-defying movement, like the glamorous @baddiewinkle in the U.S., who has 3.8 million followers and whose Instagram profile reads “Stealing ur man since 1928!!,” or Taiwan’s stylish @moonlin0106. Others have attracted followers for simply sharing the quotidian routine of aging, from “Grandma Pat” in the U.S. to Geoffrey and Pauline Walker in the United Kingdom, who say they have received so many interview requests they declined this one. The couple today document their quarantine, from boiling noodles to putting out laundry. Recently, over 87,500 viewers joined them for tea and Victoria sponge cake.
One of the most famous grandmotherly figures to emerge in this crisis is “Nonna Rosetta” from southern Italy, who with humor and no nonsense doled out advice in a video that went viral. Sitting in her kitchen, the 87-year-old exhorted: “Suggestion No. 1: You have to wash your hands. Is this news?” she says, irked. “I’ve asked you so many times: ‘Did you wash your hands?’ Not because of coronavirus. Always.” It reached 23,000 people around the globe and was translated into English, Russian, Chinese, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish.
Renata Perongini, a writer with the Naples-based production company Casa Surace, which produced the video, says that although Nonna Rosetta is a comedic character, the woman behind her, Rosetta Rinaldi, is your typical Italian grandmother; Ms. Perongini has known her since she was a kid.
“By having Nonna Rosetta at home, in her kitchen, sitting on her chair, talking directly to the audience, we tried to share a message that is both serious and reassuring, to be truly listened to because you recognize Grandma has enough experience, and wisdom, to be listened to,” she says.
Shir Shimoni, a Ph.D. candidate focusing on representations of older people in popular culture at King’s College London, says that despite representations of positivism, health, autonomy, and even entrepreneurship by “grandfluencers,” there is a part of society that doesn’t want the responsibility, be it directly or via the state, to care for older people. She warns that the rise of grandfluencers may in part be a tacit celebration of those among the elderly – statistically the most vulnerable demographic in the pandemic – who don’t require society’s care. Still, she agrees today’s figures are “endearing, and even powerful; there is a sense of agency.”
And part of that lies in the intergenerationality at play. Mr. Muñoz, the actor, has told local media he moved in with Tata, who cared for him as a child, to care for her during lockdown. She was a cleaner for most of her working life, and lived through the Spanish Civil War and World War II, and has authority about how to endure hardship.
For her part, she has said he has helped her tolerate this time of isolation. In Episode 44, when he puts on the red flamenco dress and a blond wig, she erupts: “You kill me with your youth!” He takes her hands, and leads her to dance.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
“You have no idea how much happiness you bring to my life,” writes one viewer as the improvisation plays out. “You and Tata are a paragon of love, and you, Miguelito, are a huge example of how we should be with our elderly. A huge example.”
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.