It has been another extraordinary week and we have another special edition of the Weekly devoted to the outbreak and its impact on global society. We begin in London, where Observer writer Tim Adams braces for the new reality of life under lockdown. How much, he asks, of the fabric of normal life can you take away before things fall apart? Similarly, Victoria Bekiempis took to the streets of Manhattan as New York City braced for its own shutdown.
We look again at the science behind controlling the virus, with Guardian Australia’s Melissa Davey asking scientists about the difficulties of modelling its spread. Former Guardian environment editor John Vidal considers the connection between wildlife habitat destruction and viruses that have transferred from animals to humans, such as Covid-19.
Later, economics editors Larry Elliott and Phillip Inman look respectively at the possible destruction of the eurozone and the similarities with the Great Depression of 1929 onwards. Jason Burke and colleagues look at the situation in Africa where a continent is bracing for further impact. Then, Lily Kuo – our Beijing bureau chief – reports from China, as restrictions are slowly eased in Hubei province, where the outbreak began.
In the US, we meet Americans whose jobs have been lost to the crisis already and David Smith reports on Donald Trump’s latest violent policy swing when it comes to the virus: in this case, pushing back against the lockdown to protect the economy.
There’s more from Larry Elliott in Opinion, alongside George Monbiot on the failures of the British, Australian and US governments in the face of this existential crisis.
Finally, we have a nine-page cultural isolation guide, featuring the best boxsets, movies, theatre, concerts, podcasts and video games to enjoy without leaving the house.
There’s also plenty of non-Covid-19 content to give you something else to think about. Including good news about the Andean bears that provided inspiration for Paddington.
