Thank the nurses, especially today

Japan issued an emergency declaration for several prefectures. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( Japan has issued emergency declarations for several prefectures, and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in intensive care. In Lebanon, Hezbollah's latest front line is the fight against coronavirus. And in Iran many are wondering if they can survive the disease and the financial crisis accelerated by US sanctions. Also, these monkeys at the Tulane National Primate Research Center are helping humans fight the coronavirus. --------------------------------------------------------------- Our coronavirus coverage has never been behind a paywall. No paywalls, ever. Many of you have stepped forward and shown your support for The World with thoughtful messages like this one: "Thank you to the entire World team. You inform us, inspire us, guide us, and yes — even during these tough times — delight us. A huge shout out to those few on the ground still going into WGBH who keep the program running. I listened to you from Boston and California." Your donations help us make our nonprofit journalism available to everyone. [donate]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today Japan declares emergency, and WHO marks World Health Day [A woman wearing a protective face mask, following an outbreak of COVID-19, walks under blooming cherry blossoms in a snow fall during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease from spreading, March 29, 2020.]( Credit: Issei Kato/Reuters Japan issued an [emergency declaration]( for several prefectures, and Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike has requested the [13 million residents]( of her city stay home until May 6. But under Japanese law, there are limited ways to enforce lockdown measures, and a Japanese doctor in New York [warns that Tokyo looks like New York]( just a few weeks ago. There are now more than [130,000 novel coronavirus cases confirmed]( in New York. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in [intensive care]( for the coronavirus, receiving oxygen support, but not on a ventilator. If he were to become incapacitated, [who would take control]( of the UK? April 7 is [World Health Day](, and 2020 is the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife. This year health workers deserve our thanks more than ever. But the World Health Organization reports there is a near-[6 million global shortfall]( in nurses, who "are the backbone of any health system." Also: [Cardinal George Pell freed from prison after High Court overturns sex abuse conviction]( Discussion: [COVID-19 is testing emergency preparedness. What's next?]( Coronavirus impacts democratic participation In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government passed a law granting itself sweeping powers to tackle the coronavirus. But there is no “sunset clause” bringing emergency powers to an end — which is [causing alarm among government opponents and activists]( who have already warned of Hungary's precipitous democratic decline. Despite lockdown orders, Wisconson voters are [obliged to head to the polls]( today. The US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the state cannot accept mail-in ballots after today's election — even though many voters have not yet received the absentee ballots they've requested. The number of polling places has also been curbed sharply, as poll workers fear for their safety during the coronavirus pandemic. What's next for the [2020 US election calendar](? And: [Brazilians protest Bolsonaro’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic]( More: [Trump, GOP challenge efforts to make voting easier amid coronavirus pandemic]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Faith in the time of COVID-19 This week, people all over the world are celebrating Passover and Easter. Ramadan starts later this month. The World is devoting an entire show to faith in the time of COVID-19 this Friday, and we want to hear from you. How has your faith — or your ability to worship — been affected by the pandemic? Send us a voice memo with your name, your city and your answer to [myworld@theworld.org](mailto:myworld@theworld.org?subject=Faith%20in%20the%20time%20of%20COVID-19). [Hezbollah's latest front line? The fight against coronavirus.]( In Beirut’s southern suburbs, young men from Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Society spray disinfectant, filling the neighborhood with the heavy smell of chlorine. Nearby, paramedics in bright green protective gowns pose in front of a row of ambulances. Hezbollah — a Lebanese political party and militant group considered a terrorist organization by the US and other Western countries — is not alone in trying to sanitize the streets. Most of Lebanon's traditional political parties have launched their own campaigns in the wake of the virus, seeing an opportunity to [reassert their influence](. From The World: [What the US can learn from West Africa to slow the spread of coronavirus]( [‘I am lucky I survived’: Voices from Iran, one of the worst-hit COVID-19 countries]( Iran has the world's fifth-highest death toll from COVID-19. And while some people are struggling to overcome the disease, others are wondering whether they can survive financially. Last week, Iran’s government announced a $5 billion financial relief package for low-income families and businesses impacted by the coronavirus. Iran’s economy was already hit hard before the outbreak, partly because of heavy economic sanctions imposed by the United States. And: [Coronavirus in the Middle East: Creativity to help knows no bounds]( --------------------------------------------------------------- The Number in the News [The Number in the News]( is The World’s daily smart speaker show. You’ll learn one number you won’t forget and why it’s in the news today. [Click here]( to add The Number in the News to your Amazon or Google flash briefing and hear a new episode seven days a week. [Can Tulane University’s monkeys help the global fight against the coronavirus?]( Monkeys at the Tulane National Primate Research Center have been infected with the novel coronavirus. Eventually, the animals will be tested with potential vaccines — and that [research could be helpful to humans](. The center is one of eight built in the US in the 1960s to conduct biomedical research. Within this network, Tulane is the only one that also has a regional biocontainment laboratory. “There are very few places in the world that have the capabilities that we have,” said Jay Rappaport, director of [Tulane’s National Primate Research Center](. “Everything that you can imagine that you would need to address this epidemic is really here.” [Surviving close togetherness on a remote Norwegian island]( [Sunniva Sorby (left) and Hilde Fålulm Strøm teamed up with researchers at the Norwegian Polar Institute and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography to record weather patterns, test new technologies for solar and wind energy and observe wildlife behavior in Svalbard, Norway.]( Credit: Courtesy of Hearts in the Ice For more than seven months, Sunniva Sorby and Hilde Fålulm Strøm have self-isolated by choice in a one-room wooden cabin in Svalbard, Norway — a cluster of islands midway between continental Norway and the North Pole. The two women are "citizen scientists" who have teamed up with researchers at the Norwegian Polar Institute and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography to record weather patterns, test new technologies for solar and wind energy, and observe wildlife behavior in this remote region. [Listen]( as Sorby and Strøm share their tricks to cope with being alone together. --------------------------------------------------------------- Morning meme As more airplanes are grounded, photographers delight in [capturing photos]( of the night sky with less light pollution. [Sunniva Sorby and Hilde Fålun Strøm observe the northern lights during the Arctic winter.]( [Credit: Courtesy of Hearts in the Ice]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [How to cope with intense togetherness]( - [Gender curfews in Latin America]( - [The Easter bunny is an essential worker]( - [Orbán’s power grab in Hungary]( - [Portugal helping immigrants amid coronavirus]( - [Lebanon's Hezbollah battles coronavirus]( - [Sweden’s lax rules are not working]( - [Brazil’s Indigenous people at risk]( - [The WHO and Taiwan]( - [COVID-19 disease detectives]( - [A glimmer of hope in Spain]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX](, [WGBH](, and the [BBC](.