News Room

The World Health Organization on March 11 declared the coronavirus a pandemic. Within a week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that Americans keep a 14 day supply of food and other essentials. Alarmed consumers rushed to supermarkets hoarding groceries and cleaning products, leaving some stores trying to keep up with the surge in demand. For the week ending March 21, sales of fresh meat increased by 100%, canned tuna by more than 200% and dried beans by nearly 400%compared with a year earlier.

Karan Girotra, Cornell University professor, on whether we should be concerned about the U.S. food supply in light of all the panic buying that’s going on right now.

The daily drama of money and work from the BBC.

Mitigating Covid-19 transmission risks aboard aircraft has been a major focal point during the current crisis. But before passengers even reach their gates, they have to navigate often crowded TSA security checkpoints. When stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions begin to lift, concerns about social distancing are likely to continue for a period. Aviation editor Robert Silk spoke with Sheldon Jacobson, a University of Illinois computer science professor whose research has included the foundational analysis of what became the TSA PreCheck program, about what can be done to reduce checkpoint risks.