Engineers around the world are tweaking drones, robots and smart tools to help prevent the spread of the virus

Despite historic setbacks similar to today's, Americans have become more dedicated travelers

Modified hospital designs have become necessary as the first wave of the pandemic tears through U.S. communities

Helping health care workers treat patients and public safety officials contain the pandemic, these robots offer lessons for future disasters

Graffiti artists and muralists are sending messages of hope and despair with coronavirus public art

Historian Ellen Carol DuBois chronicles the twists and turns of the 75-year-path to securing the vote for women in her new book

In a nation under quarantine, chronicling a crisis demands careful strategy

The Kent State shootings further widened the chasm among a citizenry divided over the Vietnam War

In the 1920s, the U.S. was in full thrill-seeking mode. From horse-diving (you have to see it to believe it) to barnstorming. And at the center of many of these activities were a group of daring young women.

The Chicago White Sox were heavy favorites going into the 1919 World Series. But they were defeated by the Cincinnati Reds - and it soon became clear that the game was rigged

Schools were closed March 13 to reduce the risk of spread of the coronavirus, and there is no plan to reopen them by the end of the current school year in June.

Some New Brunswickers will be heading back to work next week, but their regular childcare facilities may not be available. 

Public Health has recorded no new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, said a news release from the government. 

The village of La Loche is calling on the provincial government to force the closure of liquor stores in the community, which is in the throes of a COVID-19 outbreak. 

A virus that spreads fear and stigma, as well as disease. It’s the story of HIV/AIDS as well as COVID-19. The former executive director of AIDS Thunder Bay reflects on the similarities he sees between HIV 35 years ago, and the coronavirus now.

The Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) confirmed one new case of COVID-19 in its catchment area Thursday, bringing the total in the area to 77, with 65 of those listed as resolved.

Changes are coming to Thunder Bay's popular Ribfest event because of the COVID-19 outbreak, organizers said.

Despite some pockets of severe activity, Canadians are succeeding at flattening the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s federal health minister, Patty Hajdu, said Thursday.

The COVID-19 briefings started out as an urgent response to a public health crisis. As John Gushue writes, Premier Dwight Ball has grown comfortable in the role of hosting a program focused on government programs.

There are 14 active cases of COVID-19 remaining in the province.

Service Team members share why they enjoy being onsite during Setup Week, when the vision of TeenStreet becomes a reality for them, and what part of the upcoming conference they are most excited for.

How do you encapsulate everything that goes into a full week of teaching, worship music, workshops, meals and so much more? Enjoy a brief overview of TeenStreet 2019.

Tensions are rising on Manitoulin Island because a First Nation is stopping travellers on provincial highways that go through the community. But opinions on M'Chigeeng's attempt to protect its people from COVID-19 are not divided along racial lines. 

Three residents at a long-term care facility in Sault Ste. Marie have tested positive for COVID-19, prompting officials to declare an outbreak at Extendicare Maple View.

A doctor on Manitoulin Island is encouraging seasonal residents to stay home and not to come visit during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Porcupine Health Unit is reporting the fifth COVID-19 related death in its area.

The Porcupine Health Unit is declaring a COVID-19 outbreak at a long-term care home in Iroquois Falls.

The City of Timmins says a COVID-19 outbreak remains in place at a long-term care home in the city, even after the one affected resident has now tested negative — twice.

Provincial surveillance testing has returned a positive case of COVID-19 in a resident of Wikwemikong Nursing Home on Manitoulin Island. Ogimaa Duke Peltier says every staff member and resident underwent tests Tuesday and Wednesday of this week and the results are starting to come in.

There are now 176 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in northeastern Ontario, and seven deaths.

The head of a Sudbury-based book publishing company says she’s shifting launches online due to COVID-19.

The following is a guest post by Martha H. Kennedy, Curator of Popular & Applied Graphic Art, Prints & Photographs Division. During Will Eisner Week, March 1-7, 2020, the Library of Congress joins art schools, libraries, universities, and museums in a global celebration of this legendary creator’s contributions to the world of comic art and […]

The following is a guest post by Katherine Blood, Curator of Fine Prints, Prints & Photographs Division. As the Library of Congress marks its 220th year of serving the nation, the publication of a new guide tells two stories: how staff have for decades worked with art professionals to build the collections and how by […]

FSI Briefs No 1, April 2020. Regulatory policy responses should seek to support economic activity while preserving the financial system's soundness and ensuring transparency. The recommendation for banks to make full use of capital and liquidity buffers should go hand in hand with restrictions on dividends and bonuses and clarity concerning the process for rebuilding them. Flexibility in loan classification criteria for prudential and accounting purposes should be complemented with sufficient disclosure on the criteria banks use to assess creditworthiness. The publication of detailed guidance on the application of expected loss provisioning rules, combined with sensible transitional arrangements, may constitute a balanced approach to mitigating the unintended effects of the new accounting standards.

FSI Briefs No 2, April 2020. Guidance issued by financial sector authorities in response to the Covid-19 crisis seems to suggest that international efforts to come up with operational resilience standards should take into account at least the following elements: Critical/essential employees: identifying the critical functions and employees that support important business services, as well as ensuring employees' safety and that they can safely resume their duties (remotely, if necessary); IT infrastructure: ensuring that IT infrastructure can support a sharp increase in usage over an extended period and taking steps to safeguard information security; Third-party service providers: ensuring that external service providers and/or critical suppliers are taking adequate measures and are sufficiently prepared for a scenario in which there will be heavy reliance on their services; Cyber resilience: remaining vigilant in order to identify and protect vulnerable systems, and detect, respond and recover from cyber attacks..

BIS Bulletin No 7, April 2020. Past epidemics had long-lasting effects on economies through illness and the loss of lives, while Covid-19 is marked by widespread containment measures and relatively lower fatalities among young people. The short-term costs of Covid-19 will probably dwarf those of past epidemics, due to the unprecedented and synchronised global sudden stop in economic activity induced by containment measures. The current estimated impact on global GDP growth for 2020 is around -4%, with substantial downside risks if containment policies are prolonged. Output losses are larger for major economies.

BIS Bulletin No 8, April 2020. Information on local labour markets and Google searches can be used to construct a measure of the vulnerability of employment in different regions of the United States to the Covid-19 shock. Regional exposure to Covid-19 varies significantly, ranging from a low of 2% to a high of 98% of total local employment. We test for the usefulness of the Covid-19 exposure measure by showing that areas with higher exposure report more Google search queries related to the pandemic and unemployment benefits.

FSI Briefs No 4, April 2020. Currently, insurers are more likely to experience losses from financial market volatility than from higher insurance claims arising from Covid-19. Few insurance supervisors have seen a need to strengthen or adjust prudential requirements to insulate insurers from current financial market uncertainties. So far, authorities have responded mainly by taking measures to provide operational relief to insurers from regulatory and supervisory requirements so that they can continue providing insurance services. These measures will also help insurers to enhance risk monitoring of their Covid-19 financial exposures. Some authorities have set out expectations for insurers to conserve capital through prudent exercise of dividend and variable remuneration policies. The aim is to enhance their resilience against huge uncertainties from potential Covid-19 fallout. Other capital-related measures should relieve supervisory pressures and reduce the tendency of insurers to manage their investments in a procyclical manner. These measures include: extending the supervisory intervention ladder, triggering the countercyclical lever and recalibrating capital requirements. The far-reaching impact of Covid-19 calls for sustained vigilance by both supervisors and insurers. In the post-pandemic phase, the extraordinary measures currently warranted will need to be unwound through a carefully crafted exit strategy that preserves sound risk management practices and protects policyholders' interests.

BIS Bulletin No 9, April 2020. By allowing banks to run down some of their buffers, policymakers are sending a strong signal about their resolve to lessen the economic fallout from the pandemic. Such prudential measures complement the main policy levers: monetary and fiscal instruments. To avoid a reduction in credit to the real economy, authorities need to ensure that banks have the capacity and willingness to make use of the flexibility afforded by the buffer release. Payout restrictions on banks and risk-sharing between banks and the public sector will be key. For banks to continue playing a positive role in the supply of funding during the recovery, they should maintain usable buffers for a long period, as losses from a severe recession will take time to materialise.

The Covid-19 shock is placing enormous strains on corporates cash buffers. Corporate financial statements from 2019 suggest that 50% of firms do not have sufficient cash to cover total debt servicing costs over the coming year. Credit lines could provide firms with additional liquidity. On average undrawn credit stood around 120% of debt servicing costs at end 2019. However, access is uneven and banks may be reluctant to renew or extend them in the current environment. Sticky operating expenses result in many firms running operating losses, placing an additional burden on cash buffers. Estimates indicate that following a 10% drop in revenues, operating expenses only fall by 6% on average. Simulations suggest that if revenues fall by 25% in 2020, then closing the entire funding gap with debt would raise firm leverage by around 10 percentage points.

Our ongoing celebration of the Library of Congress National Book Festival continues with historian Michael Beschloss discussing “Presidents of War” on the Main Stage at the 2019 Festival.

Our ongoing celebration of the Library of Congress National Book Festival continues with actor and author Neil Patrick Harris discussing "The Magic Misfits: The Minor Third." The event, part of the new year-long National Book Festival Presents series, took place in the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium. This post includes prompts for writing and thinking that young readers, families and teachers can use to explore the author and the author’s work—recommended for ages 8+.

BIS statement, 16 March 2020.

Press release "Basel Committee coordinates policy and supervisory response to Covid-19", 20 March 2020

Press release "Governors and Heads of Supervision announce deferral of Basel III implementation to increase operational capacity of banks and supervisors to respond to Covid-19", 27 March 2020

BCBS Press release "Basel Committee sets out additional measures to alleviate the impact of Covid-19", 3 April 2020