Amazon under pressure, “cursed” Olympics, ghostly Boston

Parts of New York and London are shutting down. Amazon is temporarily closing its hub in Queens, NY, after a worker tested positive for coronavirus. Meanwhile, around 40 stations in London’s subway network are no longer operational. Although the cities are stopping short of official states of emergency and lockdowns, the closures of schools, the advice against social contact, and the decreasing transportation options are effectively preventing people from doing anything. [Quartz Daily Brief]( Good morning, Quartz readers! What to watch for today Parts of New York and London are shutting down. Amazon is [temporarily closing]( its hub in Queens, NY, after a worker tested positive for coronavirus. Meanwhile, around 40 stations in London’s subway network are no longer operational. Although the cities are stopping short of official states of emergency and lockdowns, [the closures of schools]( the advice against social contact, and [the decreasing transportation options]( are effectively preventing people from doing anything. India’s prime minister is addressing the nation. [Cases of coronavirus are rising]( of course, and Narendra Modi is expected to outline a more forceful response by Indian authorities, on television at 2000 IST (1030 EDT). Remote working gets less remote. Quartz is hosting a series of workshops to help ease the transition from office to home office. Today, at 11am EDT, we’ll be featuring curated tips, advice, and inspiration from both remote-work veterans and newbies, and a solid slate of speakers from Quartz and elsewhere—and it’s open to the public. [Learn more and sign up here](. While you were sleeping Subscribe to Quartz’s free newsletter on Covid-19. Need to Know: Coronavirus examines how the epidemic is affecting the health of the global economy.[Sign up here](. France’s economy minister criticized Amazon for its handling of the coronavirus crisis. The pressure on workers is “unacceptable and we’ll let Amazon know,” Bruno Le Maire [said on French radio]( this morning. Meanwhile in Italy, delivery workers want people to [stop ordering stuff]( they don’t need, and are also critical of the US firm. Australia and New Zealand announced that they’re shutting borders. The [two countries said]( only citizens, residents, and their families would be allowed to enter from tomorrow (March 20.) They have already been isolating all foreign arrivals for 14 days. SoftBank shares tumbled. The Japanese conglomerate had its [worst one-day fall ever]( today, reflecting investor skepticism about the outlook of tech startups. One of SoftBank’s key investments, Uber, saw its shares fall 22%, as nobody goes anywhere any more. A Japanese official said the Olympics are “cursed.” According to deputy prime minister Taro Aso, the Games are disrupted by world events [every 40 years]( including in 1940, when a previous Tokyo Olympics was canceled due to World War II. Organizers of this year’s event still say it will go on, in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic. China reported no new local infections. For the first time since the outbreak began, [all new confirmed cases of Covid-19]( came from people who had traveled to China from abroad. But experts warn the numbers [could just be an anomaly]( in the data, and say that China is not immune from the risk of resurgence of the virus. Mumbai’s famous food delivery stopped racing around town. The ‘[dabbawallas]( who have been delivering hot lunches across the city for many years, long before Uber Eats, announced they’ll stop working until March 31, as a precaution against coronavirus. Quartz membership IVF extras. PGT is a controversial add-on to fertility care that screens embryos for potential abnormalities. Some clinicians think it indicates a larger trend of expensive [IVF add-on procedures]( that are ineffective at best. Learn more in this week’s deep dive into [the business of fertility](. Quartz daily obsession Trolls are as old as the internet. For most of the web’s history, we’ve written off their online provocations and abuse as harmless pranks—despite a mounting toll of suicides and intense trauma. But after the US presidential election in 2016, when state-sponsored armies of agitators began wielding anonymous comments as political weapons, their tactics had to be taken seriously. [Ignore the bait and read the Quartz Daily Obsession.]( Matters of debate Workers are the priority, not shareholders. Money from the [huge bailouts]( might go the wrong place, again. It’s very difficult to pause the economy. That’s because “[economic time has stopped]( but financial time has not been stopped.” Reading this from bed? It’s better than being all [hunched over]( at your kitchen table. Surprising discoveries RSVP? No. Reason? Coronavirus. This pandemic is causing millions of people to miss out on [irreplaceable moments]( like weddings and graduations. Drone images give us a unique view of the ghost town that is Boston. It could be the opening sequence of a [disaster movie](. Only one stock on the FTSE 100 is up for the year. It’s online grocery company [Ocado Group](. What’s the over-under on it being 79°F in Dallas tomorrow? With all major sports canceled, online casinos are [taking bets on the weather](. Big Entertainment can sometimes be generous. Streaming services are offering [discounts and free trials]( to keep those under quarantine entertained. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, a wedding invitation, and a work bed 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 brought to you by Annabelle Timsit and Hasit Shah. [facebook]( Enjoying the Daily Brief? Forward it to a friend! They can [click here to sign up.]( Want to advertise in the Quartz Daily Brief? Send us an email at ads@qz.com. To unsubscribe from the Quartz Daily Brief, [click here](.