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India begins its massive repatriation efforts. The first of more than 60 flights planned to bring home as many as 200,000 citizens stranded overseas due to Covid-19 will arrive in India today. The “hail India” mission could be the biggest repatriation effort for India since the first Gulf War.
The Bank of England makes an announcement. The UK central bank is expected to keep rates as they are and hold off on further stimulus measures until at least June. The government will also announce its second review of lockdown measures, after the UK’s coronavirus death toll surpassed Italy’s.
Poland is likely to delay its election. The ruling party said that the speaker of the parliament would announce a new date for the vote in anticipation of a supreme court ruling to invalidate Sunday’s postal ballot. The Law and Justice Party wanted to press ahead with the election despite the pandemic and logistics for the vote in total disarray.
Facebook announced the members of its Oversight Board. An initial group of 20 members who will oversee content moderation at the social network includes former Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and Alan Rusbridger, former editor-in-chief of the Guardian.
A US citizen confessed over a failed coup in Venezuela. Mercenary Luke Denman said on state TV that he was instructed to capture president Nicolás Maduro and transport him to the US. Venezuela arrested 13 people, including Denman and another American, on Monday in connection with the plot.
Charting alcohol sales
In the US, consumers are buying more alcohol through retailers, and spirits purchases have seen the biggest bump, with a 33% increase. Canned cocktails—an increasingly trendy and rapidly expanding category—are up by triple digits.
But the key word here is “retail.” Americans aren’t necessarily imbibing more during their lockdowns. What’s changed is where they’re drinking it—the alcohol they’re buying for home enjoyment is simply taking the place of what they’d be putting on their tabs at bars or restaurants.
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Worker support. From furlough schemes to supporting the self-employed, the world has some solid emergency plans for supporting workers and industries reeling from Covid-19.
Take Germany, for example. Financially distressed employers can drastically reduce worker hours, and the government will pay most of their lost wages. The program, called Kurzarbeit, preserves jobs and makes it easier for both the company and the economy to recover later on.
But what’s Disney’s plan? Owning massive parks and a massive sports network seemed like a good way to diversify, until it wasn’t. The Mouse has furloughed 100,000 employees so far, without pay.
We’re obsessed with black swans
We don’t know what we don’t know. Every once in a while, an event we consider outside the realm of possibility pops up and upends everything we thought we knew about a subject. But experts debate whether some calamities—like the current pandemic—were really unforeseeable, or if we just ignored the warnings. Suspend your disbelief with the Quartz Daily Obsession.
Surprising discoveries
India readies the world’s first safe zone for sea cucumbers. The endangered marine animal is in high demand in some parts of Asia for food and traditional medicine.
Axl Rose and Steven Mnuchin are beefing. After the Guns N’ Roses frontman called the US treasury secretary an expletive, Mnuchin accidentally used a Liberia flag emoji instead of an American one in his initial comeback.
Elon Musk’s baby’s name might be illegal. Sorry, X Æ A-12—California only allows the 26 letters of the English alphabet on birth certificates.
Ancient horned frogs once hopped all the way across Antarctica. They lived in a time when the continents were one massive landmass called Gondwana.
A woman recovered from both the Spanish flu and Covid-19. Marilee Shapiro Asher, who lives in a senior living community in Washington, DC, is 107 years old.
You asked about vacations
Will people still go on vacations now that we’re in a Covid-19 world?
Easton, you’re not the only one with this question. Weeks into the US’s nationwide lockdown, Google searches for “when can I travel again” continue to rise. International travel is all but impossible, big cities that used to be tourism hubs have become areas of concern, and money is tight.
What travel looks like in the short-term will depend a lot on what’s allowed and the depth of the economic crisis. If past recessions serve as any guide, cash-strapped vacationers will instead load up their cars and go to places they can reach on their own steam. Think national parks, campgrounds, places that can be reached in a day. Quartz reporter Natasha Frost has more information on what travel will—and won’t—look like in our near future.
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Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, prehistoric frogs, and illegal baby names to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app on iOS or Android and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Isabella Steger and edited by Mary Hui.