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Dear Cog reader,
It's been another week filled with essays and thought pieces on COVID-19 and life during a pandemic. Here are some of the highlights:
- Kat Powers explains what it's actually like to have a presumed case of COVID-19.
- Nathaniel Stinnett says public health and the health of our democracy depends on allowing people to vote by mail.
- Eileen McNamara on the critical importance of the Defense Production Act.
- Whitney Scharer is adjusting to this new life, where in-person contact is off limits.
-Alysia Abbott on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting special needs families like hers.
All that, and much more. Enjoy.
— Frannie Carr Toth
Co-editor, Cognoscenti
newsletters@wbur.org
Must Reads
I Have A Presumed Case Of COVID-19. This Is What The Past 10 Days Have Been Like
I don't know for sure if I have the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, writes Kat Powers. But I do know that I feel miserable. Read more.
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‘Instead Of Our Visits, I Sing To Him’: What The Pandemic Means For A Mom And Her Autistic Son
Alysia Abbott’s 12-year-old son Finn is autistic. She hasn’t been able to see him in person since the residential school where he lives suspended in-person visits in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more.
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Trump Could Be Helpful. He Could Invoke The Defense Production Act Today
Why are we still scrambling for medical supplies when the president has at his disposal a law that empowers him to compel companies to produce the supplies that are urgently needed? asks Eileen McNamara. Read more.
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It's Time For All 50 States To Allow Voting by Mail
With a critically important presidential election less than eight months away, writes Nathaniel Stinnett, we must take a foolproof approach now to protect our democracy from catastrophic harm. Read more.
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All Of My Friendships Are Virtual Again
I used to be the person who pretended not to have reception when someone FaceTime'd me, writes Whitney Scharer. But now, I’m actively seeking out digital interactions. Read more.
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The Federal Check Won't Be Enough. Now's The Time For Mass. To Introduce A Universal Basic Income
Congress is still squabbling about how much money to give Americans, writes Miles Howard. But the state can also send out checks. Read more.
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What We're Reading
"The few people walking past us on the sidewalk don’t know that we are visitors from the future. A vision, a premonition, a walking visitation. This will be them: Either T, in the mask, or — if they’re lucky — me, tending to him." ("What I Learned When My Husband Got Sick With Coronavirus," The New York Times)
"Please know that it will be OK. What I’ve come to learn over the course of 20 years is that you really can master your anxiety. I’m not a New Age guru or a doctor; I’m just a person who’s ridden it out. Here’s the trick: Don’t deny it." ("I Have Clinical Anxiety. If The Coronavirus Scares You, This Might Help," The Boston Globe)
"After 9/11, the world focused on counterterrorism. After COVID-19, attention may shift to public health. Expect to see a spike in funding for virology and vaccinology, a surge in students applying to public-health programs, and more domestic production of medical supplies. Expect pandemics to top the agenda at the United Nations General Assembly." ("How The Pandemic Will End," The Atlantic)
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If you’d like to write for Cognoscenti, send your submission, pasted into your email and not as an attachment, to opinion@wbur.org. Please tell us in one line what the piece is about, and please tell us in one line who you are.
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