Good morning, Quartz readers!
Depending on where in the world you are, you’ve probably been stuck at home for three weeks. You might have been laid off. Maybe you still have a job, but are juggling it against caring for children or elderly relatives. Or maybe you, or someone you know, has Covid-19.
In short, everyone has a lot to worry about right now. But while we are collectively housebound, one of the greatest rearrangements of power in modern history is happening before our eyes—and there is a very real concern that we’re too overwhelmed to do anything about it.
In past weeks, world leaders have expanded their powers in unprecedented ways in the name of fighting the new coronavirus. In Thailand, the government can now censor the media. In South Korea, officials are using people’s cellphone, credit-card, and GPS records to track patients with Covid-19 in real time. In the US, the Justice Department asked lawmakers for the power to request that defendants be detained indefinitely without trial during emergencies.
On a recent episode of the podcast Talking Politics, two experts in political theory discussed when emergency powers become tyrannical. A state of emergency, they said, is justified if the threat is public, universal, and existential, and if the extraordinary powers are authorized by the people, limited in time, and proportional. Covid-19, which has been called “the great equalizer,” certainly fits the first half of that description, but what of the second?
There’s very little in history to convince us that states are keen on giving back powers once they’ve been awarded. In the US, the 9/11 terrorist attacks led to a sweeping expansion of executive power and violations of personal liberties that outlived the actual emergency by more than a decade. It’s worth noting that few of the emergency declarations passed around the world to deal with Covid-19 come with a sunset clause.
As to the other points, who determines what loss of our personal rights is proportional to the threat? And who gets to speak on behalf of the people? Whatever happens, we can’t let the answer to that question be: whoever is in charge. —Annabelle Timsit
Are you stressing coronavirus? We’ve got an email for that. Sign up for a look at how an epidemic affects the health of the global economy.
FIVE THINGS ON QUARTZ WE ESPECIALLY LIKED
Finding solace in video games. Gaming used to make entertainment reporter Adam Epstein feel vaguely guilty—but no longer. Entering a virtual world has become a welcome respite, he writes, and gives him a small sense of control in a world where everything feels out of control. He’s also begun following streamers—online celebrities who have created a new form of entertainment by playing video games for an audience. —Oliver Staley, culture and lifestyle editor
Taiwan is tracking people under home quarantine in real time. Other governments are using cellphone location data to monitor people’s movements during the coronavirus pandemic, but Taiwan’s quick, coordinated response has set it apart. In total, some 55,000 people are being kept at home through a “digital fence.” Mary Hui explains the tech that has helped keep infections low in a population of 24 million. —Isabella Steger, deputy Asia editor
Protecting pickers on the farm. So far, the only coronavirus-related food shortages in the US have resulted from a surge in demand for staples like yeast. But as Chase Purdy reports, there’s evidence that farmers aren’t yet taking adequate measures to protect agricultural workers from infection, which could impact food at the supply level as Covid-19 spreads to rural farming communities. —Katie Palmer, science and health editor
Global protests during the pandemic. Prohibiting group gatherings means no more street demonstrations. How about taking it online, or going to the balcony? Max de Haldevang explores how social organizing around the world is harmed by the ongoing crisis, while national governments find ways to increase surveillance and strengthen control. —Youyou Zhou, data and visual reporter
What Covid-19 really asks of us. Jenny Anderson suggests it’s a type of coming together that denies the language, though not the spirit, of social distancing. And Cassie Weber, who was “unschooled” until the age of 12, has some words of reassurance for the millions of parents around the world who did not choose to homeschool their children—and should perhaps use the opportunity now to do something even wilder. —Heather Landy, executive editor
QUARTZ MEMBERSHIP
What the WHO is for. The international institution at the center of the pandemic response is plagued by an “identity crisis.” It’s both a membership organization and a global public health agency. But when one of its member states doesn’t follow its advice, those two mandates come into conflict.
FIVE THINGS ELSEWHERE THAT MADE US SMARTER
The Fed transformed. The US Federal Reserve has taken radical action to combat Covid-19. As Donald Trump dawdled, Fed chair Jay Powell began cutting interest rates to near zero, buying more than $1 trillion in debt, and propping up lending markets. The Wall Street Journal gives a blow-by-blow account of how the “mild-mannered,” guitar-playing lawyer has handled the crisis from his home in the Maryland suburbs—and won the begrudging praise of Trump, a longtime critic. —Max de Haldevang, geopolitics reporter
Locked down in Sicily, in photos. On the frontline of the battle against Covid-19, Italians remain under lockdown. As an award-winning photojournalist, Alessio Mamo has traveled the world telling stories of war and famine, but in a photo essay for the Guardian, he offers a glimpse into what it’s like when the world’s biggest story arrives on your own doorstep. His black-and-white photographs could be stills from a Fellini movie, showing Catania’s empty streets and the harsh realities of life with the virus. —Sam Rigby, audience editor
Understanding coronavirus antibody tests. Everyone’s interested in testing for Covid-19 immunity, and the good news is that antibody tests are in wide development and limited use. These can illuminate who among the already infected might return to work, which is especially important when it comes to much-needed healthcare professionals. The Economist explains the different approaches to antibody testing, and why one size doesn’t fit all contexts. —Ephrat Livni, senior reporter, law and politics
Social distancing tips from a pro. While everyone else in the world gets accustomed to staying six feet away from others, Billy Barr, the lone full-time resident of Gothic, Colorado, has lived a solitary life for the past 50 years. NPR spoke with Barr about his daily routine and how it might help others. —Justin Rohrlich, geopolitics reporter
Pitchforks are out for the stars. Just weeks (a lifetime) ago, we scrolled through Instagram enviously. But where we once found posts about the lives of the famous and beautiful aspirational, in the pandemic era they increasingly strike us as gauche, excessive, tone-deaf, and out of touch, writes Amanda Hess in the New York Times. Will this mark the end of celebrity idolatry in our culture? —Holly Ojalvo, talent lab editor
Our best wishes for a relaxing but thought-filled weekend. Please send any news, comments, homeschooling tips, and therapeutic video games to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Weekend Brief was brought to you by Steve Mollman and Kira Bindrim.