Lainy Morse shows students Wesley Schmidt and Celeste Abraldes a bearded dragon in a photo taken when school was open. Lainy Morse hide caption
Faces Of The Coronavirus Recession Jobs lost. Businesses in peril. Meetings gone virtual. Faces Of The Coronavirus Recession offers snapshots of working Americans whose lives have been upended by the pandemic.
Special Series
Faces Of The Coronavirus Recession
Snapshots of lives upended by a pandemic. Jobs lost, virtual meetings, future uncertain.
Liz McLemore spent weeks trying to enroll in a health plan after being laid off and losing her job-based coverage. "You just got to fight through," she says. Casey Chang hide caption
Like many people whose jobs involve personal interaction, Nicole Burke Stephenson had to get creative to keep making money while social distancing. Nicole Burke Stephenson hide caption
Parkview Early Learning 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. Kathryn Garras hide caption
Yesenia Ortiz works at a grocery store in Greensboro, N.C. She says she wishes she would get paid more during the pandemic because of the extra level of risk to which she is exposed. Sarah Gonzalez/NPR hide caption
Avery Hoppa with her 3-year-old daughter Zelda. Hoppa says she's "incredibly grateful" that she and her husband still have jobs. But she says it "feels weird to be a consumer right now" as many are struggling financially. Avery Hoppa hide caption
Keri Belcher, who has worked in the oil and gas industry, says she's considering switching careers — even if it means less time outdoors, which is what attracted her to geology in the first place. Peter Flaig hide caption
Bartolomé Perez of Los Angeles has cooked at McDonald's for 30 years. He helped stage a walkout at his restaurant in April after a coworker tested positive for COVID-19. Courtesy of the Fight for $15 and a Union hide caption
Todd Olson's company, Twin City Die Castings, played a key role in an urgent project to help General Motors make ventilators for the coronavirus effort. Sheila Olson hide caption
Cynthia Murray's hours at Walmart had already been cut, and she was worried about her health in the pandemic. After a customer shouted at her, she decided to go on unpaid leave. Chuck Kennedy/MCT/Tribune News Service via Getty Images hide caption
Theodore Johnson worked full time as a massage therapist at a luxury hotel in Texas. When the coronavirus crisis hit, he tried to get unemployment, but the system was overloaded. That sent him to an Amazon warehouse, where he now works. Heather King hide caption
David Edwards was the team mascot for the Quad Cities River Bandits in Davenport, Iowa. David Edwards hide caption
Josep Navas Masip, seen with his dog Ruquet, purchased a second home in Philadelphia and was renovating it for use as an Airbnb when the coronavirus crisis hit. Now his plans are canceled and he's unsure what to do for income. Josep Navas Masip hide caption
Michelle Lee, who has worked for Safeway for 32 years, wishes customers would be more patient about shortages. "They can't understand why they keep coming back and we don't have" items such as toilet paper, she says. Robert Lee hide caption
Carolyn Mendel, a General Mills plant manager in Wellston, Ohio, says she has compared notes on workplace safety with a rival frozen food maker nearby. Courtesy of General Mills hide caption
The dental practice where Candace Grenier has worked for two decades shut down in mid-March. That's just before her son, Ryeder, lost his job at an auto body shop. Seth Franklin hide caption
Jose de los Rios works at a Procter & Gamble plant in Mehoopany, Pa., that makes Charmin toilet paper and other products. The factory has been running nonstop in recent weeks. Procter & Gamble hide caption
Tracy Delphia has been told she will be called back to work as soon as business conditions improve — whenever that is. Her biggest concern is her ability to pay the mortgage. Tracy Delphia hide caption
Allie Clancy, an aspiring TV producer, had to cut short her dream internship at Boston's TD Garden arena. "I'm trying to get used to the idea that I might not get a job in my field for a little while." Jonas Spencer hide caption
Rocio Tirado, who works for a New Orleans area newspaper, has seen her pay drop during the pandemic. She asked her sons Nicholas (left) and Emilio to be less wasteful. Rocio Tirado hide caption
Dan and Amanda Munro, with their children, Adelaide and Charles. Dan Munro found out he lost his job via a Zoom call. Dan Munro hide caption
DJ Haddad, CEO of an advertising company in Fairfield, Conn., says virtual meetings and parties help his employees forge new connections with their co-workers. Haddad & Partners hide caption
Courtney Meadows says the coronavirus has changed how other people see her job as a grocery store cashier. Courtesy of Mark Covey hide caption