The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the ways we live and work. Since March, many Americans were told to work from home, many were left unemployed, and many frontline workers continued to go to work to provide essential service—including nurses, a profession historically dominated by women. Today, 90 percent of nursing jobs in the United States…

In any year but 2020, Halloween is an exciting opportunity to don a mask. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has made masking a serious public health responsibility and a partisan flashpoint, rather than a fun costume prop. This year, as images of masked marchers for racial justice are juxtaposed with violent protests against pandemic-related mask mandates, the question…

Masks have captured our attention in 2020, with public health officials advising that it is one of the best ways that Americans can protect the health of their friends, neighbors, and essential workers and minimize the spread of COVID-19. Just as during prior periods of crisis, Americans have turned to sewing and crafting, making masks…

Since March, New York City’s hospitals across the five boroughs have formed the frontline of the battle against coronavirus, with brick-and-mortar hospitals straining to accommodate the surge in patients seeking care alongside a handful of temporary field hospitals that sprung up to relieve the pressure. Hospitals rerouted all of their resources toward treating COVID-19, leading…

For two months now, Americans have been getting crash courses on how to sew masks. Many cities and states across the country have required mask-wearing in public to help the contain the spread of COVID-19, and people have responded, making masks at home for themselves, for their communities, and for front-line workers. For many people…