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| Curbside Pickup. Bicycle Deliveries. Virtual Book Discussions. Amid Virus, Bookstores Get Creative. | Curbside Pickup. Bicycle Deliveries. Virtual Book Discussions. Amid Virus, Bookstores Get Creative. |
| (8 days later) | |
| Danny Caine, owner of The Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kan., thought the store had weathered the worst of obstacles when it managed to stay in business after a giant Borders bookstore moved across the street. Then came the threat from Amazon’s domination of the book-selling business. | Danny Caine, owner of The Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kan., thought the store had weathered the worst of obstacles when it managed to stay in business after a giant Borders bookstore moved across the street. Then came the threat from Amazon’s domination of the book-selling business. |
| Now, Mr. Caine and independent bookstore owners everywhere are grappling with the same problem: How to contain the financial fallout from the coronavirus outbreak. | Now, Mr. Caine and independent bookstore owners everywhere are grappling with the same problem: How to contain the financial fallout from the coronavirus outbreak. |
| Just when the industry had started to see a period of stability and strength, independent bookstore owners are bracing for the devastating blow of having to shut their doors and cancel book signings and literary festivals, events that are the lifeblood of their businesses. | Just when the industry had started to see a period of stability and strength, independent bookstore owners are bracing for the devastating blow of having to shut their doors and cancel book signings and literary festivals, events that are the lifeblood of their businesses. |
| Many are finding novel ways to stop the coronavirus pandemic from derailing their businesses — from hosting book groups via videoconference calls to curbside book pickups, where staff members take books to customers in their cars. | Many are finding novel ways to stop the coronavirus pandemic from derailing their businesses — from hosting book groups via videoconference calls to curbside book pickups, where staff members take books to customers in their cars. |
| Starting Wednesday, Mr. Caine, 33, will no longer allow customers to browse in his shop, and will instead make at-home deliveries or drop off books to customers waiting curbside. He and his team have 25 to 30 deliveries scheduled for Wednesday. | Starting Wednesday, Mr. Caine, 33, will no longer allow customers to browse in his shop, and will instead make at-home deliveries or drop off books to customers waiting curbside. He and his team have 25 to 30 deliveries scheduled for Wednesday. |
| “We’re going to operate like a pizza takeout place,” Mr. Caine said. “We’re going to process an order you called in, but you can’t stay here and eat your pizza, basically.” | “We’re going to operate like a pizza takeout place,” Mr. Caine said. “We’re going to process an order you called in, but you can’t stay here and eat your pizza, basically.” |
| He’s brainstorming every idea he can think of to keep sales up enough so that he can continue to pay employees. That includes moving a large-scale literary festival that was scheduled for late April online. | He’s brainstorming every idea he can think of to keep sales up enough so that he can continue to pay employees. That includes moving a large-scale literary festival that was scheduled for late April online. |
| He’s also created a website in which people can donate money to be used to deliver books to people in need. Using donations, Mr. Caine said, he plans to mail four books to a single father of four children who has serious medical problems. | He’s also created a website in which people can donate money to be used to deliver books to people in need. Using donations, Mr. Caine said, he plans to mail four books to a single father of four children who has serious medical problems. |
| Other stores are deploying similar strategies, like encouraging curbside book pickup. Gavin J. Grant, manager of Book Moon in Easthampton, Mass., said he and his wife, the author Kelly Link, might be able ride out a shutdown for four weeks. But if it lasts two to three months, he added, he thinks they’ll have to close the store. | Other stores are deploying similar strategies, like encouraging curbside book pickup. Gavin J. Grant, manager of Book Moon in Easthampton, Mass., said he and his wife, the author Kelly Link, might be able ride out a shutdown for four weeks. But if it lasts two to three months, he added, he thinks they’ll have to close the store. |
| “If we don’t have income, how are we going to pay the bills?” he asked. “I’m not entirely sure. And if nobody else has income either, they’re not going to be able to buy books and get them shipped.” | “If we don’t have income, how are we going to pay the bills?” he asked. “I’m not entirely sure. And if nobody else has income either, they’re not going to be able to buy books and get them shipped.” |
| The economic fallout from the coronavirus comes at a time when independent stores across the country have seen a resurgence. Print sales had stabilized, and digital audiobook sales had risen. Sales across all tracked categories, including professional publishing and educational materials, rose 1.8 percent in 2019 from 2018, reaching $14.8 billion, according to the Association of American Publishers. | The economic fallout from the coronavirus comes at a time when independent stores across the country have seen a resurgence. Print sales had stabilized, and digital audiobook sales had risen. Sales across all tracked categories, including professional publishing and educational materials, rose 1.8 percent in 2019 from 2018, reaching $14.8 billion, according to the Association of American Publishers. |
| “I feel like if we were able to persevere through the Amazon era, then we’ll get through this,” said Onyew Kim, a manager at A Cappella Books in Atlanta, Ga. “I don’t know how, yet, but I think bookstores have a lot of strength and meaning to the community.” | “I feel like if we were able to persevere through the Amazon era, then we’ll get through this,” said Onyew Kim, a manager at A Cappella Books in Atlanta, Ga. “I don’t know how, yet, but I think bookstores have a lot of strength and meaning to the community.” |
| While the store is closed, Ms. Kim, 29, is delivering books by bike. Her routine? She loads 10 or so books into her bike bag, maps out her route and then cycles around Atlanta — which, in recent days, has had reduced traffic. | While the store is closed, Ms. Kim, 29, is delivering books by bike. Her routine? She loads 10 or so books into her bike bag, maps out her route and then cycles around Atlanta — which, in recent days, has had reduced traffic. |
| Updated June 30, 2020 | |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | |
| Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles. | Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles. |
| A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. | A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. |
| The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. | The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. |
| The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. | The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| Some customers are delighted to see her dropping off books for them and want to chat, while others keep their distance and ask her to leave the books by their front doors. | Some customers are delighted to see her dropping off books for them and want to chat, while others keep their distance and ask her to leave the books by their front doors. |
| At Novel, a bookstore in Memphis, Tenn., about 25 people will hold a book group discussion on Wednesday about the book “Station Eleven,” a novel by Emily St. John Mandel, over a Zoom conference call. While the store remains open, there has been lighter foot traffic, and staff members are monitoring the situation and encouraging customers to buy gift cards and to order online or via curbside pickup at the store. For now, sales are holding up, said Emily Draffen, a 31-year-old event coordinator at the shop. | At Novel, a bookstore in Memphis, Tenn., about 25 people will hold a book group discussion on Wednesday about the book “Station Eleven,” a novel by Emily St. John Mandel, over a Zoom conference call. While the store remains open, there has been lighter foot traffic, and staff members are monitoring the situation and encouraging customers to buy gift cards and to order online or via curbside pickup at the store. For now, sales are holding up, said Emily Draffen, a 31-year-old event coordinator at the shop. |
| But some independent booksellers were worried that increased sales prompted by community support could be short-lived, and that precautions that had prompted stores to close would end up helping Amazon’s business as more customers order online. | But some independent booksellers were worried that increased sales prompted by community support could be short-lived, and that precautions that had prompted stores to close would end up helping Amazon’s business as more customers order online. |
| Powell’s Books in Portland, Ore. said it would begin involuntary layoffs after determining the minimum number of employees it needed to keep the online store functioning. | Powell’s Books in Portland, Ore. said it would begin involuntary layoffs after determining the minimum number of employees it needed to keep the online store functioning. |
| McNally Jackson, an independent chain in New York that said it was “facing down a massive, unprecedented loss in revenue,” is also laying off employees until its stores reopen. | McNally Jackson, an independent chain in New York that said it was “facing down a massive, unprecedented loss in revenue,” is also laying off employees until its stores reopen. |
| Bookstore owners and employees said they were trying to come up with as many new ways as they could to keep their stores in operation. | Bookstore owners and employees said they were trying to come up with as many new ways as they could to keep their stores in operation. |
| “If I spend too much timing thinking about this lasting a couple of months, I think I’ll start losing the ability to have these ideas,” said Mr. Caine, owner of The Raven Book Store. “I’ll be paralyzed by anxiety.” | “If I spend too much timing thinking about this lasting a couple of months, I think I’ll start losing the ability to have these ideas,” said Mr. Caine, owner of The Raven Book Store. “I’ll be paralyzed by anxiety.” |