May 3, 2020

Your Weekend Briefing

By Remy Tumin and Judith Levitt

Calla Kessler/The New York Times

1. Nearly half of the U.S. will reopen in some form beginning this week.

About a dozen states tentatively returned to public life on Friday, the first mass reopening of businesses since the coronavirus pandemic brought America to a standstill six weeks ago. More restrictions are expected to loosen on Monday. Above, Council Bluffs, Iowa.

At the same time, portions of the country, including much of the West Coast and the Northeast, remain shuttered, causing clashes over how, when and whether to reopen. Protesters gathered in the capitals of Kentucky, Oregon and Florida, following other demonstrations this week in Illinois, California and Michigan. Here are the states that have opened, and the ones that are still shut down.

Ultimately, whether or not businesses reopen comes down to the individual. And the decision for Americans has not been easy, weighing what feels like an impossible choice.

Have you been keeping up with the headlines? Test your knowledge with our news quiz. And here’s the front page of our Sunday paper, the Sunday Review from Opinion and our crossword puzzles.

Nicolas Asfouri/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

2. The race for a vaccine is compressing years into months. In order to do so, researchers must navigate safety issues, commercial challenges and geopolitical tensions.

Seven of the roughly 90 vaccine projects being pursued have reached the stage of clinical trials, moving ahead at unheard-of speeds, but uncertainty remains over effectiveness, how quickly a vaccine could be made available to millions (or billions) of people and whether the rush will sacrifice safety.

Which country or company will win the race? “We will need many different vaccines to cross the finish line,” a development expert said.

Some public health officials say the more immediately promising field might be the development of treatments to speed recovery. Remdesivir, an antiviral drug previously tried in the fight against Ebola, has emerged as an option, but is far from a sure thing.

Victor J. Blue for The New York Times

3. The toll on families is great.

One family, 2,500 miles apart, faced excruciating decisions as their matriarch, Carmen Evelia Toro, fought the virus on a ventilator in a hospital on Long Island. They gathered online and in the I.C.U., above, to prepare for the end, a common situation in which many families are finding themselves.

One of the cruelties of the virus is the way it sweeps through homes. Across the country, reports are surfacing of long-term couples dying from Covid-19 in quick succession, redoubling the pain for those they leave behind.

Woohae Cho for The New York Times

4. What does a world reimagined for the age of coronavirus look like?

No Jenga. No sunbathing. No saying “amen” in church for fear of spreading saliva.

As cities in Asia, Australia and elsewhere are getting outbreaks under control, churches, schools, restaurants, movie theaters and even sporting venues are starting to open after weeks of isolation. The new social customs, distancing practices and mandates offer a preview of what might soon be common globally. Above, a screen thermometer in Seoul.

And what’s to become of the handshake? The gesture, once an offer of peace, now carries a threat of contagion. Here’s how it became so popular.

Christopher Capozziello for The New York Times

5. Requirements for using federal coronavirus loans are so complicated and confusing, some small businesses fear using the money altogether.

Many of the small businesses that did receive loans through the Paycheck Protection Program are sitting on the money, unsure about whether and how to spend it. “I don’t accidentally want to commit bank fraud,” said Jodi Burns, above, who owns Blazing Fresh Donuts in Guilford, Conn.

Under the rules, for example, business owners have eight weeks from the day they receive the cash to spend it in order to have the loan forgiven. That is made increasingly difficult when many states are still under strict stay-at-home orders.

Max Whittaker for The New York Times

6. Joe Biden made his first public denial of a sexual assault claim. But the burden of the allegation has largely rested on his female supporters.

The account by Tara Reade, a former Senate aide, above, and Mr. Biden’s denial, have pushed the #MeToo movement — and the politicians who supported it, like Mr. Biden himself — into uncomfortable territory, our gender and politics reporters write in an analysis.

Even with the progress of #MeToo, progressive women are called upon to defend their male colleagues. In the 2020 election, that means putting the credibility of the movement itself on the line.

Geoff Evatt/University of Manchester

7. No one said doing research at the bottom of the planet was going to be easy.

This year is the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica, and the history of scientific exploration of the continent is riddled with tales of woe. We spoke to meteorite hunters, who managed to find more than 100 space rocks, about what it’s like to conduct research at end of the world.

In case you missed it, new data from space gave scientists the most precise picture yet of Antarctica’s ice — where it’s accumulating and melting, and how the changes could contribute to rising sea levels.

Bryan Derballa for The New York Times

8. New York’s botanical gardens are in full bloom. Few are around to witness it.

As cherry blossoms, azaleas, crab apple trees, lilacs and peonies are reaching their peak beauty, we took a look inside one of the gardens, where a dedicated crew is still working to keep the plants flourishing. Think of these gardens as a “museum of plants,” one gardener said.

Perhaps you’re thinking of heading into your own garden today. Here’s how to bring some homegrown color to your backyard (it’s not too late!) and the easiest way to make a garden bed.

John Harrison

9. A parking lot. The front porch. A home zoo.

In the age of social distancing, Americans are finding new ways and places to reconnect. Writers and photographers from across the country wrote in about how they and their neighbors are coming together when they can’t go very far. Above, a block party in Carrboro, N.C.

There’s a good chance you stayed in last night. Suffice to say, you’re not the only one. Saturday nights have a different feel these days. Here’s what the treasured weekend night looks like around the world.

Benjamin Lowy

10. And finally, our Best Weekend Reads.

The deadly disparities of the coronavirus, Stephen King on Joe Biden and the pandemic, and the beauty of Easter Island, above, were among some of our great stories this week. And don’t forget: Samin Nosrat is throwing a lasagna party tonight. You’re all invited.

For more ideas on what to read, watch and listen to, may we suggest these 12 new books our editors liked, a glance at the latest small-screen recommendations from Watching, and our music critics’ latest playlist.

It’s supposed to be a beautiful day here in New York. Hope the sun makes an appearance for you this week.

Your Weekend Briefing is published Sundays at 6 a.m. Eastern.

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