What you need to do to get your COVID-19 stimulus check

If you got a tax refund or paid the IRS by paper check last year, you'll need to get your bank details in to the agency.
If the IRS has your direct deposit details, you don’t need to do anything.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Food pantries struggle to provide during COVID-19

Mar 31, 2020
As many Americans stock up on weeks of provisions, food pantries, food banks and soup kitchens are figuring out how to get hungry Americans the food they need.
Pantries are mobilizing to serve those who can't come to them: They’re posting social media callouts, hiring translators and renting vans for delivery.
Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

How bad will this recession be, and how long will it last?

Mar 30, 2020
Just because the COVID-19 recession came on incredibly quickly does not mean it will be a quick recovery.
The COVID-19 recession will likely have a slow recovery. Above, an empty 42nd Street in Manhattan on March 25.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
Chinese industrial workers return to the job.
STR/AFP via Getty Images

Is it ethical to shop the sales right now?

Mar 30, 2020
Shopping is vital for the economy. That doesn't mean folks feel great about discretionary purchases right now.
Feeling tempted to shop online during self-quarantine?
Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images

Video games attract millions of players as the world "shelters in place"

Mar 30, 2020
With more people stuck inside during the COVID-19 pandemic, some are flocking to console and computer games.
What to do while stuck at home? Play video games, of course.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Nintendo of America

Much of the economy has stopped. Rent and other payments haven't.

Mar 30, 2020
Millions of people's incomes have been reduced or disappeared completely because of COVID-19, and rent day is just around the corner.
A pedestrian walks by a San Francisco restaurant closed because of COVID-19.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

How national and state parks are handling COVID-19 closures

Mar 30, 2020
Hundreds of parks have closed to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus. But many remain open, and some are even waiving entrance fees.
A closed sign is posted in front of a parking lot at China Camp State Park on March 25, 2020 in San Rafael, Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all parking lots at state parks and beaches to be closed in an effort to discourage people from visiting.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Demanding better COVID-19 protections, workers nationwide plan walkouts

Amazon, Instacart and Whole Foods face backlash from workers concerned about safe working conditions.
Instacart employee Monica Ortega holds bags of groceries she picked up from a supermarket for delivery to a customer on March 19, 2020.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images