Statewide

Renters still left out in the cold despite temporary coronavirus protection

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Renters still left out in the cold despite temporary coronavirus protection

Protesters demanding a freeze on rents in Minneapolis. Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via Getty Images

By Kirk McClure, University of Kansas and Alex Schwartz, The New School

Emergency relief for renters across America may protect them from the threat of eviction during the coronavirus crisis – but it won’t last for long. The economic shutdown necessitated by COVID-19 has undermined the ability of millions of families and individuals to pay their landlords. But current measures to alleviate their hardship will not last through the summer, leaving the country at risk of a surge of evictions and homelessness within months. The current crisis also hits landlords, small ones especially, who may now struggle to meet mortgage payments, property taxes and other essential expenses.

Features

Making masks at home – what you need to know about how to reduce the transmission of coronavirus

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Homemade masks will not filter the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but may prevent transmission of droplets and spray between individuals. Nikola Stojadinovic/Getty Images

By Susan L. Sokolowski, University of Oregon and Karen L. LaBat, University of Minnesota

The recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation to use cloth face coverings to help slow the spread of COVID-19 has generated numerous how-to articles and videos. As academics who focus on personal protective equipment (PPE) research and development, we are concerned about the lack of information about two critical features of home mask design: fit and fabric selection. The reality of particle size

Virus particles are tiny, ranging from 0.1 to 0.3 micron. A size 40 micron particle is visible with the naked eye – anything smaller, you need specialized equipment to see it.

Features

COVID-19 may hit rural residents hard, and that spells trouble because of lack of rural health care

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The empty streets of Hebron, Illinois, population 1,200, a village three miles south of the Illinois/Wisconsin border. Scott Olson/Getty Images

By Kevin J. Bennett, University of South Carolina

The burden of COVID-19 in rural areas has been under the radar, as the toll of the disease so far has been heaviest in dense urban areas. But up to 30% of the U.S. population lives in rural America, which already has experienced more than 128 hospital closures since 2010, including 19 last year. COVID-19 could lead to more closures and instability in rural America, even though the lower density of rural areas may help keep transmission rates of the disease down. With fewer people living across relatively large areas, social distancing is easier to accomplish.

Features

Deportation to Syria could mean death for women, children and LGBTQ refugees in Turkey

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan isn’t limiting his assault on neighboring Syria to attacking Kurdish troops that run the country’s northern region. He says the 3.6 million Syrians now living as war refugees in Turkey may also be returned “to their own homes” once northern Syria is wrenched from Kurdish control.