What Went Wrong with Coronavirus Testing in the U.S.

Plus: anti-Asian discrimination, convincing boomer parents to take the coronavirus seriously, and “Love Is Blind.” View in browser | Update your preferences Primaries are happening today in three states. Follow our live results, and read our Election 2020 coverage. News Desk What Went Wrong with Coronavirus Testing in the U.S. During three crucial weeks in February, as a first set of test kits sent out by the C.D.C. failed to work properly, labs across the country scrambled to fill the void. By Robert P. Baird Culture Desk Anti-Asian Discrimination During the Coronavirus Crisis As the outbreak sweeps through New York City, a Korean-American observes a rising tide of anti-Asian sentiment. By Ed Park Our Columnists The Coronavirus Calls for Wartime Economic Thinking “You have to be willing to think what previously would have been unthinkable,” one economist said, about the level of stimulus that will be needed to counteract the coronavirus’s economic effects. By John Cassidy News Desk The Diary of a Grand Princess Crew Member “It’s starting to feel like a floating prison,” she wrote as the coronavirus spread on the ship and the crew began trading rations. By Charles Bethea PAID POST Fans of Gary Shteyngart need to read Good Citizens Need Not Fear Maria Reva’s ingeniously intertwined stories span the years before and after the fall of the Soviet Union. As the denizens of 1933 Ivansk Street weather the neglect of authorities, they devise unusual—and unforgettable—ways to survive. READ AN EXCERPT Culture and the Coronavirus Culture Desk Convincing Boomer Parents to Take the Coronavirus Seriously COVID-19 poses a unique threat to members of an age group that, whether they admit it or not, includes them. By Michael Schulman Culture Desk Invisible Bullets: What Lucretius Taught Us About Pandemics The ancient philosopher contemplates our place in the material world when particles hostile to us begin to move. By Stephen Greenblatt More in Culture Cultural Comment How “Love Is Blind” Transcends the Norms of Reality Television Instead of archetypes, the show has people who develop, in some cases, what appears to be true affection for one another. By Miranda Popkey Puzzles and Games Dept. The Weekday Crossword 2004 Usher hit whose title is repeated more than seventy-five times in the song: four letters. By Anna Shechtman Humor from The New Yorker Daily Shouts A Kindergarten Teacher Answers Questions About Her Marital Status It’s like when you hold hands with a partner when you walk down the hall. Except that you would be holding hands with yourself. By Kerry Elson Daily Cartoon Tuesday, March 17th By Emily Bernstein Sign up for more newsletters from The New Yorker. Visit The New Yorker shop. Question about your subscription? Contact Customer Care. New Yorker digital subscribers get unlimited access to everything on newyorker.com. Log in to your account here. We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please send your thoughts and suggestions to TNYinbox@newyorker.com. This e-mail was sent to you by The New Yorker. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, NewYorker@newsletters.newyorker.com, to your address book. View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2020. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.