Remembering a City at the Peak of Crisis - a podcast by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

April 15, 2020, was near the apex of theCOVID-19 pandemic in New York City, which was then its epicenter. On that day, a crew ofNew Yorkerwriters talked with people all over the city, in every circumstance and walk of life, to form a portrait of a city in crisis. A group station manager for the subway talks about keeping the transit system running for those who can’t live without it; a respiratory therapist copes with break-time conversations about death and dying; a graduating class of medical students gets up the courage to confront the worst crisis in generations; and a new mother talks about giving birth on a day marked by tragedy for so many families. The hour includes contributions from writers includingWilliam Finnegan,Helen Rosner,Jia Tolentino,Kelefa Sanneh, andAdam Gopnik, who says, “One never knows whether to applaud the human insistence on continuing with some form of normal life, or look aghast at the human insistence on continuing with some form of normal life. That’s the mystery of the pandemic.” 

 

This episode originally aired on April 24, 2020. 

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