Economy

Like many people whose jobs involve personal interaction, Nicole Burke Stephenson had to get creative to keep making money while social distancing.

Coronavirus has shed light on centuries of racial economic inequality. NPR's podcast The Indicator from Planet Money looks at how COVID-19 and the recession are hitting black Americans hard.

A center in Spokane, Wash., has been operating at one-third capacity under pandemic guidelines. Co-owner Luc Jasmin III says it has been tough to turn away parents, many of whom are essential workers.

African Americans are 40% less likely to own their homes than whites. And blacks are more likely to hold jobs that put them at risk of the coronavirus. The civil unrest follows decades of inequality.

The problem goes deeper than police misconduct.

Los Angeles businesses had plans to reopen this week as the city lifted COVID-19 restrictions. But violence, looting and vandalism in response to George Floyd's death have put some plans on hold.

Loosened quarantine restrictions have given some people an opportunity to flee violence at home, but cyberstalking and high unemployment have also made it harder to completely escape after moving out.

The move comes after several Target stores were ransacked and damaged during protests.

Many retail and food workers are losing temporary wage bumps they got during the pandemic. Some say their work hazards are only increasing, while their wage is lower than unemployment benefits.

With many stores and restaurants closed last month, consumer spending plunged. That's a big blow for the economy, since consumers are the nation's biggest economic engine.

During the first month of shutdowns, Atlanta commercial landlord Robert Fransen decided to work with his tenants to cut them a break on their rent and help them adapt their businesses to the pandemic.