Headlines
After Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended contingency and crisis strategies for front line healthcare workers in late March, there was an immediate shortage of protective gears in hospitals. A family in Maryland is doing their part by making face shields at home and donating it to not only healthcare workers they know but also where it is much needed, hospitals in New York. VOA‘s Saqib Ul Islam has their story
South Korea is one of very few countries to so far contain the coronavirus without resorting to mass lockdowns. Instead, it is taking a targeted approach: using cellphone data to locate and isolate those exposed to the virus. The digital tracing places public safety above personal privacy, but has been highly effective
Losing a loved one is hard enough, but when you lose someone from COVID-19, you can’t even be at their deathbed, nor attend their funeral due to social distancing measures. For close-knit Muslim communities, including Indonesian Muslims in the US, this means making the most of technology and also praying for their loved ones from afar
Kenyan authorities forcibly evicted over 7,000 people from Nairobi slums this month, despite a court order, and in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in a small riot. Authorities say they demolished the homes because they were built on public land. But some of those who were evicted claim to have bought the land. Critics note mass evictions during a pandemic are inhumane and could further spread the virus
Current Time has spoken to spouses and close colleagues of medical staff who have died from COVID-19 while caring for others infected by the coronavirus~RFE/RL
Uganda banned the use of public and private transport in late March to curve the spread of COVID-19. With the ban on cars, the country has seen a boom in demand for bicycles.
Senegal’s controversial decision to re-open mosques as the Muslim-majority country is still battling the coronavirus pandemic has split the religious community. Senegal so far has about 2,500 confirmed infections and at least 25 deaths from COVID-19. While some Muslims have welcomed being able to pray at the mosque during the last week of the holy month of Ramadan, others worry it’s too soon and the decision may put worshippers at greater risk of infection
A surge of deaths in Yemen has prompted aid groups to warn that the war-torn, impoverished nation may have far more than the 122 COVID-19 cases officially reported as of May 17. Aid groups say hospitals are closing because health workers have no protective gear and people are dying because they cannot get treatment. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Istanbul with Naseh Shaker in Sana’a, Yeme
Muslims abstain from eating and drinking during daylight hours in the month of Ramadan, which ends on May 23rd. After sunset, they enjoy a meal and celebration known as iftar. Much of the celebrating this year is taking place in homes or online because of COVID-19. As Mike O’Sullivan reports, one online event has brought together people from two faiths which are sometimes antagonistic towards each other
The state of California is allowing some businesses to re-open, slowly and in phases. People are learning how to adjust to the new reality, considering at least 70,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 and close to 3,000 people have died in the state