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Layoffs, Closures, And Uncertainty: How The Coronavirus Is Affecting The Local Economy

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Dewey Square, which is usually bustling with food trucks and people, is virtually empty. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
Dewey Square, which is usually bustling with food trucks and people, is virtually empty. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Here's the Radio Boston rundown for March 20. Tiziana Dearing is our host.
In our first hour, we're focused on how the coronavirus is affecting our local economy.

  • WBUR's Steve Brown brings us the latest news from Gov. Charlie Baker, including the first death of a Massachusetts resident from the coronavirus.
  • Two local restaurant owners, one who has temporarily closed, tell us about the biggest challenges facing their industry right now. Robert Forrant, Professor of Labor History at UMass Lowell, also provides analysis throughout the hour.
  • We take stock of the impacts on gig economy workers with Shannon Liss-Riordan, a workers’ rights lawyer in Boston. We also hear from the manager of a Boston gym and a fitness instructor hit hard by closures related to the virus.

In our second hour, we check in with WBUR reporters and take stock of the week.

  • We check back with WBUR's Steve Brown on the first death related to COVID-19 in the state. Plus, WBUR's Simon Rios on emergency child care centers opening in the state and CommonHealth editor Carey Goldberg takes your questions.
  • Our Week In Review panelists, The Boston Globe's Marcela Garcia and US Naval War College's Tom Nichols, take stock of the outbreak and what may come next.

This program aired on March 20, 2020.

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