When the world learned about a then-nameless novel coronavirus on the last day of 2019, few could have predicted how it would shape the year about to begin. In less than three months, that disease, COVID-19, has claimed more than 8,000 lives and changed millions more. Countries and regions around the world have taken unprecedented actions, from citywide lockdowns and mass quarantines to sweeping travel and business restrictions.
 
 
 
This issue explores our strange new normal—in China, where COVID-19 still casts a long shadow; in Europe, where health systems are struggling to weather extraordinary challenges; and in the U.S., where a mismanaged political response lulled many into a sense of security now shattered by school and work closures, lost wages and social separation. In words and images, these stories detail the disparate responses—medical, technical and personal—required to slow and halt COVID-19, and, most important, how we can all emerge on the other side.
 
 
 
 
 
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What to Know and What to Do About the Global Pandemic <<