Working from Home During COVID-19: A Survival Guide for College Students

places to go to do homework during covid

These past few weeks have been an interesting time for college students. COVID-19 has forced many of us to shelter in place for weeks, or even months. We're experiencing something that's never happened before, and a lot has changed in a short amount of time. How do we adapt to this new lifestyle?

Shelter-in-place isn't all rest and relaxation—students are still working, taking classes, and meeting deadlines. But now, we have to do those things in a totally different environment. Many are finding out how hard it is to juggle their home life with professional responsibilities. To help with that, I've put together some tips and tricks I've learned to make my quarantine experience a little brighter.

Set up a home workspace.

Whether you're working full time, taking classes, or doing something else that requires your focus, you're going to need a workspace. A work station is a designated place in your house or apartment where you can go to avoid distractions. I suggest using an area that has a flat surface for writing and a place to set up your computer. In my apartment, I've chosen a small couch in my living room. I keep my computer on the coffee table and have plenty of space on the table for my books—and of course, space for snacks! My boyfriend opted for standing at the kitchen counter in lieu of a standing desk.

Make your space comfy and inspiring. This will keep you motivated as you work. It can be difficult during quarantine to separate work life and home life. The idea is to make your workspace feel like a separate area from the rest of your home so that you can reduce distractions.

Create a new class and work schedule.

If you're like me, days and times started to blend together by day 3 of being home from college. Make a daily schedule to help organize your responsibilities, projects, and goals. That doesn't mean you have to plan out every second of the day. You just need to give yourself a rough idea on what you need to do each day and when you'll do it. For an example, my schedule is listed below. I am a full-time college student with a part-time job. Both are fully online at this time.

Example schedule for students:

10 a.m. - Wake up

10:30 a.m. - Class work

12 p.m. - Lunch break

1 p.m. - Spend time outside on the porch

1:30 p.m. - Class work

3 p.m. – Break

3:30 p.m. - Office job work

5 p.m. - Household chores/tasks

7 p.m. – Dinner

11 p.m. – Sleep

A schedule helps me keep some order and routine in my life during these strange times. As you can see, I planned time for the things I want to do as well as the things I need to do. And don't forget to schedule in breaks! Try not to get behind on your classes or work. Online coursework may be temporary, but the outcome of grades and deadlines are permanent.

Set goals for your school and work assignments.

This is a great time to catch up on projects, but it also may seem like the perfect excuse to get behind on your work. It's easy to get distracted at home. Many classes have one due date at the end of the week for assignments. It’s hard to do homework on Monday when it's not due until Friday, but letting work pile up will only cost you in the long run. Plan out your assignments so that you don't have two things to do on Monday and 10 things to do on Friday. Setting goals will help you feel less stressed and create better work.

Take breaks to reduce stress.

Scheduling breaks is just as important as scheduling time to work. Make sure you're taking time for a breather in between assignments. For example, I typically sit in class for 1 1/2 hours, so I make sure I never go longer than that without taking a break. Use break times to eat, relax, play with pets, talk on the phone, or go outside. Do something that makes you happy and takes your mind off of your work for a little while. Breaks are proven to increase productivity and creativity!

Don't get discouraged with school/work from home.

It’s easy to get off track or discouraged right now. But you’re not alone—it's a challenging time for everyone. Just remember that even though these weeks at home feel surreal, the grades and work count just as much. Don't procrastinate! Keep using the same study and work techniques you used before. Take the time to write out your notes or make flashcards. Do all the work assigned to you so that you don't get behind, and don't let shelter-in-place keep you from doing your very best!

I hope you can take these tips and make them into something that fits your life. And remember, you've got this, you are not alone, and it’s all going to be okay!

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Six online activities to help students cope with covid-19, these well-being practices can help students feel connected and resilient during the pandemic..

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNESCO estimates that 91.3% of the world’s students were learning remotely, with 194 governments ordering country-wide closures of their schools and more than 1.3 billion students learning in online classrooms.

Now that the building blocks of remote education have been put into place and classroom learning is underway, more and more teachers are turning their attention to the mental health of their students. Youth anxiety about the coronavirus is rising , and our young people are feeling isolated, disconnected, and confused. While social-emotional education has typically taken place in the bricks and mortar of schools, we must now adapt these curriculums for an online setting.

I have created six well-being activities for teachers to deliver online using the research-based SEARCH framework , which stands for Strengths, Emotional management, Attention and awareness, Relationships, Coping, and Habits and goals. Research suggests that students who cultivate these skills have stronger coping capacity , are more adaptable and receptive to change , and are more satisfied with their lives .

places to go to do homework during covid

The virtual activities can be used for specific well-being lessons or advisory classes , or can be woven into other curricula you are teaching, such as English, Art, Humanities, and Physical Education. You might consider using the activities in three ways:

  • Positive primer: to energize your students at the start of class to kickstart learning, prompt them to think about their well-being in that moment, get them socially connected online, and get their brain focused for learning.
  • Positive pause: to re-energize students at a time when you see class dynamics shifting, energy levels dropping, or students being distracted away from the screen.
  • Positive post-script: to reward students and finish off the class in a positive way before they log off.

Rather than viewing these activities as another thing you have to fit in, use them as a learning tool that helps your students stay focused, connected, and energized.

1. Strengths

Activity: Staying Strong During COVID-19 Learning goal: To help students learn about their own strengths Time: 50 minutes Age: 10+

Prior to the lesson, have students complete the VIA strengths questionnaire to identify their strengths.

Step 1: In the virtual class, explain the VIA strengths framework to students. The VIA framework is a research-based model that outlines 24 universal character strengths (such as kindness, courage, humor, love of learning, and perseverance) that are reflected in a student’s pattern of thoughts, feelings, and actions. You can learn more about the framework and find a description of each character strength from the VIA Institute on Character .

Step 2: Place students in groups of four into chat rooms on your online learning platform and ask them to discuss these reflection questions:

  • What are your top five strengths?
  • How can you use your strengths to stay engaged during remote learning?
  • How can you use your strengths during home lockdown or family quarantine?
  • How do you use your strengths to help your friends during COVID-19?

Step 3: As a whole class, discuss the range of different strengths that can be used to help during COVID times.

Research shows that using a strength-based approach at school can improve student engagement and grades , as well as create more positive social dynamics among students. Strengths also help people to overcome adversity .

2. Emotional management

Activity: Managing Emotions During the Coronavirus Pandemic Learning goal: To normalize negative emotions and to generate ways to promote more positive emotions Time: 50 minutes Age: 8+

Step 1: Show students an “emotion wheel” and lead a discussion with them about the emotions they might be feeling as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. You can use this wheel for elementary school and this wheel for high school.

Step 2: Create an anonymous online poll (with a service like SurveyMonkey ) listing the following 10 emotions: stressed, curious, frustrated, happy, angry, playful, sad, calm, helpless, hopeful.

Step 3: In the survey, ask students to enter the five emotions they are feeling most frequently.

Step 4: Tally the results and show them on your screen for each of the 10 emotions. Discuss the survey results. What emotions are students most often feeling? Talk about the range of emotions experienced. For example, some people will feel sad when others might feel curious; students can feel frustrated but hopeful at the same time.

Step 5: Select the top two positive emotions and the top two negative emotions from the survey. Put students into groups of four in virtual breakout rooms to brainstorm three things they can do to cope with their negative emotions, and three action steps they can take to have more positive emotions.

Supporting Learning and Well-Being During the Coronavirus Crisis

Supporting Learning and Well-Being During the Coronavirus Crisis

Activities, articles, videos, and other resources to address student and adult anxiety and cultivate connection

Research shows that emotional management activities help to boost self-esteem and reduce distress in students. Additionally, students with higher emotional intelligence also have higher academic performance .

3. Attention and awareness

Activity: Finding Calm During Coronavirus Times Learning goal: To use a mindful breathing practice to calm our heart and clear our mind Time: 10 minutes Age: All

Step 1: Have students rate their levels of stress on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being very calm and 10 being highly stressed. 

Step 2: Do three minutes of square breathing, which goes like this:

  • Image a square in front of you at chest height.
  • Point your index finger away from you and use it to trace the four sides of the imaginary square.
  • As you trace the first side of the square, breathe in for four seconds.
  • As you trace the next side of the square, breathe out for four seconds.
  • Continue this process to complete the next two sides of the square.
  • Repeat the drawing of the square four times.

Step 3: Have students rate their levels of stress on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being very calm and 10 being highly stressed. Discuss if this short breathing activity made a difference to their stress.

Step 4: Debrief on how sometimes we can’t control the big events in life, but we can use small strategies like square breathing to calm us down.

Students who have learned mindfulness skills at school report that it helps to reduce their stress and anxiety .

4. Relationships

Activity: Color conversations Purpose: To get to know each other; to deepen class relationships during remote learning Time: 20 minutes Age: 10+

Step 1: Randomly assign students to one of the following four colors: red, orange, yellow, and purple.

Step 2: Put students into a chat room based on their color group and provide the following instructions to each group:

  • Red group: Share a happy memory.
  • Orange group: Share something new that you have learned recently.
  • Yellow group: Share something unique about you.
  • Purple group: Share what your favorite food is and why.

Step 3: Come back to the main screen and ask three students to share something new they learned about a fellow student as a result of this fun activity.

Three Good Things for Students

Three Good Things for Students

Help students tune in to the positive events in their lives

This is an exercise you can use repeatedly, as long as you ensure that students get mixed up into different groups each time. You can also create new prompts to go with the colors (for example, dream holiday destination, favorite ice cream flavor, best compliment you ever received).

By building up student connections, you are supporting their well-being, as research suggests that a student’s sense of belonging impacts both their grades and their self-esteem .

Activity: Real-Time Resilience During Coronavirus Times Learning goal: To identify opportunities for resilience and promote positive action Time: 30 minutes Age: 10+

Step 1: Have students brainstorm a list of all the changes that have occurred as a result of the coronavirus. As the students are brainstorming, type up their list of responses on your screen.

Step 2: Go through each thing that has changed, and have the students decide if it is something that is within their control (like their study habits at home) or something they cannot control (like not attending school on campus).

Step 3: Choose two things that the students have identified as within their control, and ask students to brainstorm a list of ways to cope with those changes.

You can repeat this exercise multiple times to go through the other points on the list that are within the students’ control.

Developing coping skills during childhood and adolescence has been show to boost students’ hope and stress management skills —both of which are needed at this time.

6. Habits and goals

Activity: Hope Hearts for the Coronavirus Pandemic Learning goal: To help students see the role that hope plays in setting goals during hard times Time: 50 minutes Age: 10+

Step 1: Find a heart image for students to use (with a program like Canva ).

Step 2: Set up an online whiteboard to post the hearts on (with a program like Miro ).

Step 3: Ask students to reflect on what hope means to them.

Step 4: Ask students to write statements on their hearts about what they hope for the world during coronavirus times, and then stick these on the whiteboard. Discuss common themes with the class. Finally, discuss one small action each student can take to create hope for others during this distressing time.

Step 5: Ask students to write statements on their hearts about what they hope for themselves, and then stick these on the whiteboard. Discuss common themes with the class. Finally, discuss one small action each student can take to work toward the goal they’re hoping for.

Helping students to set goals and have hope at this time can support their well-being. Research suggests that goals help to combat student boredom and anxiety , while having hope builds self-worth and life satisfaction .

The six activities above have been designed to help you stay connected with your students during this time of uncertainty—connected beyond the academic content that you are teaching. The intense change we are all facing has triggered heightened levels of stress and anxiety for students and teachers alike. Weaving well-being into online classrooms gives us the opportunity to provide a place of calm and show students they can use adversity to build up their emotional toolkit. In this way, you are giving them a skill set that has the potential to endure beyond the pandemic and lessons that may stay with them for many years to come.

About the Author

Lea Waters , A.M., Ph.D. , is an academic researcher, psychologist, author, and speaker who specializes in positive education, parenting, and organizations. Professor Waters is the author of the Visible Wellbeing elearning program that is being used by schools across the globe to foster social and emotional elearning. Professor Waters is the founding director and inaugural Gerry Higgins Chair in Positive Psychology at the Centre for Positive Psychology , University of Melbourne, where she has held an academic position for 24 years. Her acclaimed book The Strength Switch: How The New Science of Strength-Based Parenting Can Help Your Child and Your Teen to Flourish was listed as a top read by the Greater Good Science Center in 2017.

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40 things to do while you're stuck at home because of covid-19.

places to go to do homework during covid

As someone with bipolar disorder , routine is essential in keeping me stable. I love waking up at the same time every day, I love going to work and I love doing the same thing over and over and over again.

Except, I work in a school, so because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) — the  new viral strain  in the coronavirus family that affects the lungs and respiratory system —  I’m now out of my routine for three weeks.

So, what now?

Well, it’s only day one of my journey with social distancing , and I’ll admit I’m already going a little “crazy,” but here are 40 ways to occupy your time:

  • Learn a new hobby using YouTube Tutorials. For me, it’ll probably be drawing. 
  • Text your friends. Stay in contact.
  • Go for a drive, even if you have no destination.
  • Schedule a therapy appointment!
  • If you have a dog like I do, teach them some new tricks.
  • Limit your social media time. You might be bored, but social media is not your only cure. Trust me.
  • Play a game with friends or family — even if it’s digital. For example, me and my partner sometimes play Boggle together on our phones. We each have a username and get a notification when it’s our turn.
  • Start journaling .
  • Get dressed and ready for the day every day, even if you aren’t going anywhere.
  • Write a list of things that make you happy.
  • Go out of your way to look for positive news stories. There are always some out there!
  • Write a story, poem or novel. Even if you aren’t a good writer, just give it a try. There are plenty of idea generators out there too, if you don’t have one in mind.
  • Write an article for The Mighty. Share your story. I promise it’s empowering and will probably help others. Submit your story here .
  • Volunteer online. I currently volunteer with the ACLU and it’s entirely online. It was easy to sign up and I got started the next day.
  • If you have money, buy an item you’ve been wanting off Amazon.
  • Do your laundry.
  • If you’re in school, get some schoolwork done.
  • Learn how to dance. To get you started, there are plenty of TikTok tutorials floating around right now — as silly as that may seem.
  • Create a PowerPoint of why you should stay alive, including quotes, pictures and sources.
  • Create a playlist of your favorite music .
  • Find a good podcast. My current favorites are “Snacks Daily” and “Mythology.”
  • Learn a new language.
  • Take a bath or shower.
  • Do the dishes.
  • Learn how to do stand-up. I hear it’s hard, but everyone loves a good comedian.
  • If you have an instrument lying around, practice it. (Or in my case, finally learn how to play it.)
  • Write a list of things you love about yourself — and make it long. There are plenty of remarkable things about everyone I’ve ever met, so there are about you too.
  • Do sensory grounding activities. Sometimes for me that’s as simple as running my hands under hot water.
  • Learn how to meditate . I won’t be doing that, because meditation isn’t for me, but I know it really helps others.
  • Take a walk around the block.
  • Reorganize or redecorate a room in your house.
  • Reach out to loved ones when you need support. And if that’s not enough, call a crisis hotline.
  • Go on Instagram and search “dogstagram.” You’ll find a lot of pictures of cute dogs. You’re welcome.
  • Go through old photos on your phone and find those ones that make you super happy. We all have that one picture that makes us burst into a smile. Find it.
  • Learn how to cook. Or if you already know how, try making something new!
  • Watch your favorite TV show on Netflix .
  • Learn how to do something you’ve always wanted to do, but have never had the time. Apparently, the world is your oyster right now.
  • Make a to-do list every day and complete it.
  • Don’t dwell on darkness. Find the brightness in the world too. Even during pandemics, there’s still light at the end of the tunnel.
  • Write your own list of activities because I’m sure I’m missing a lot.

If you have time, share your favorite activities with me in the comments below. I have three weeks off to read them. And as always, you can find my social media on my Mighty profile if you need a friend. 

Hang in there Mighties.

Concerned about coronavirus? Stay safe using the tips from these articles:

  • Which Face Masks Prevent Against Coronavirus?
  • How Is the New Coronavirus Treated?
  • How to Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer
  • What You Should Know About Social Distancing During COVID-19
  • 8 Soaps You Can Use to Help Prevent the Spread of Illness
  • 10 Face Masks People With Chronic Illness Recommend

GettyImages photo via Alina Kvaratskhelia

I’m a Contributor here at The Mighty who writes about my struggles with Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety and ADHD in hopes of one day ending the stigma surrounding mental health. I’m here to talk about the hard stuff. You can find me on Twitter at @ok_mel0n

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Extra learning time is helping these students catch up from COVID interruptions

Anya Kamenetz

places to go to do homework during covid

Sophomore Dreshon Robinson stands outside his high school cafeteria, where the learning hub takes place. He wants to go to college and be an audio engineer. Cornell Watson for NPR hide caption

Sophomore Dreshon Robinson stands outside his high school cafeteria, where the learning hub takes place. He wants to go to college and be an audio engineer.

It's 4:30 in the afternoon, and the fall colors in the trees are glowing as the sun drops low over the sprawling, historic campus of Grimsley High School in Greensboro, N.C. Dozens of students are waiting outside the cafeteria.

One of them is sophomore Dreshon Robinson. He wants to be a music engineer someday. He loves Adele and Bruno Mars. But right now, he's working evenings in a restaurant. And Monday through Thursday after school, he comes to Grimsley High school's "learning hub."

Here, from 4:30 to 6 p.m., there are certified teachers to help with any subject Dre needs. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, there's free dinner too – maybe Chick-fil-A or pizza – and a bus to take you home.

"If I do need tutoring or if I need help," Dre says, "it's teachers in there, so I can get help with my schoolwork. So I don't ever get behind. Because I'm not one for catching up."

A place for students – and the district – to catch up

Like districts all over the country, Guilford County, a large system of more than 70,000 students in the north-central part of the state, is playing catchup.

They have seen falling test scores after months of remote and hybrid learning and all of the stresses and traumas of the pandemic. Many high school students started working last year when their parents lost jobs. Some are working two jobs.

Dreshon typically works from 6:30 to 10 p.m., five days a week. When he's home, he crashes, exhausted, or dedicates time to friends or family. "I'm not ever doing school work at home."

places to go to do homework during covid

Dreshon Robinson says Sierra Hanapole is his favorite teacher. "She just has a good character. She's really cool. You know, she's not one of those teachers that freak out." Cornell Watson for NPR hide caption

Dreshon Robinson says Sierra Hanapole is his favorite teacher. "She just has a good character. She's really cool. You know, she's not one of those teachers that freak out."

Guilford County first opened a version of these learning hubs last school year during remote learning. They were there to give students access to computers and broadband internet, which 1 in 5 families lacked at the start of the pandemic.

The Walton Family Foundation and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (Dell Technologies is a financial supporter of NPR) funded the hubs this fall to help students stay engaged in school. The grants cover payment for teachers, transportation, meals and incentives for students who stick with their commitment to attend, like gift cards to buy gas.

The hubs opened across the district in October. Some schools have Saturday sessions as well as after school. So far about 2,450 students have shown up at least once, a number the district is hoping will grow.

Parents are scrambling after schools suddenly cancel class over staffing and burnout

Parents are scrambling after schools suddenly cancel class over staffing and burnout

At Grimsley High School, word has spread, and the hub has had to move from the media center to the larger cafeteria.

Teachers identify students who are behind and recommend them for the hub. "We have got a lot of kids who typically would have tapped out at this particular point in the year," says Grimsley's assistant principal, Christopher Burnette, who oversees the hub.

When students get their report cards and see low grades in the first quarter, Burnette explained, "they realize that this is a no-win situation. And then they start to fade back." Attendance drops. They're turning less work in. Grades plummet.

That could have been Dreshon Robinson. He lost 15 days this fall to COVID quarantines.

"Biology is hard to teach from a computer," says Dreshon's favorite teacher, Sierra Hannipole. "When he got behind, there was a struggle to pick him back up. And that's unfair to him because he does try. "

places to go to do homework during covid

Sierra Hannipole says her science students who attend the learning hub at Grimsley High School have seen their grades bump up. Cornell Watson for NPR hide caption

Sierra Hannipole says her science students who attend the learning hub at Grimsley High School have seen their grades bump up.

"I don't want to ever fall behind again because it is really hard," Dreshon agrees.

"Like, you come in, and everybody's like, 'Oh, Dre's back!' Then you be like, 'Oh, what are we doing?' 'We doing this.' I'm like, 'Oh. I don't know what that is.'"

Since Dreshon started attending the hub, Hannipole says, he's not only caught up, but he's more on top of his deadlines, more proactive. "What I've noticed different from him is a stronger level of accountability."

A place for teachers to build stronger relationships

The cafeteria is a newer building with high ceilings and walls of windows. Inside, the mood is calm and friendly. Students are sitting with their friends, but they're staying on task. Some high achievers on the school's International Baccalaureate track have been showing up voluntarily to not only do their own homework, but help their friends.

All over the country, schools are reporting record levels of staff burnout . The hub model relies on teachers volunteering to extend their work day, not to mention counselors, the custodians and the bus drivers.

On the evening we visit, Burnette's children join him for the school-provided dinner. His wife is an assistant principal at another school, so they trade evening duties.

places to go to do homework during covid

Sierra Hannipole helps Dreshon Robinson with biology during the learning hub. The hub is open to all students Monday through Thursday after school. Students can get help with schoolwork or see a counselor. There's also free food. Cornell Watson for NPR hide caption

Sierra Hannipole helps Dreshon Robinson with biology during the learning hub. The hub is open to all students Monday through Thursday after school. Students can get help with schoolwork or see a counselor. There's also free food.

"We have to make sure that we practice what we preach," he says. When he asks teachers to volunteer, he reminds them it will be helpful for the students. "I just ask, if you can give your kids an hour, it will be more beneficial to them."

Tajae Pryce, who teaches special education at Grimsley, is consistently at the hub.

"Students have always benefited from one-on-one and small groups," he says. "Being able to have that time built in to do that has been really great."

For Pryce, the big payoff is better relationships with his students. "I've met kids who have never spoken in class before, who hadn't had that confidence before or made a connection ... because of lack of time," he explains. "So I really feel like Grimsley High School is like a model of what we could be doing. It's been pretty successful."

Counselors and social workers also come to the hub, for students who need someone to talk to.

"Our kids have been through trauma that we can't imagine. Not even counting the disease, but just the economic effects," Pryce says. "I have kids whose parents have lost jobs, kids who are working, helping with rent and bills. These kids are impacted by crime and other things in our community. So this is a good place for them to be."

A future of more flexible options

In the spring of 2021, with the help of Saturday learning hubs, increased flexibility from the state, and a summer quarter, Guilford County posted the highest high school graduation rate in its history: 91.4 percent. That's in a district where nearly two-thirds of students are living in poverty.

This school year, when they came back in person, Sharon Contreras, the superintendent, says they did not want to leave any student behind.

places to go to do homework during covid

The pandemic has forced schools to come up with new solutions. Sierra Hannipole teaches biology and astronomy at Grimsley High school in Greensboro, North Carolina. Cornell Watson for NPR hide caption

The pandemic has forced schools to come up with new solutions. Sierra Hannipole teaches biology and astronomy at Grimsley High school in Greensboro, North Carolina.

"We did home visits. Everyone from myself to principals to school resource officers knocked on doors. We visited shelters," she said. "We were very concerned that we could not place our eyes on students, we did not know if they were OK. We already knew that academically they were suffering. But there are many more concerns that go beyond academic concerns. ... So we just knocked on doors saying, 'Please come back, it's safe to come back to school.'"

Contreras has a grand vision for the future of these hubs. She would like to offer more flexible scheduling for students, especially those who must work to support their families. They could attend hubs before, and after, regular school hours to get their main course credits for graduation.

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And she'd even like to pay students directly for attending the hub. "I think it's part of the silver lining of the pandemic that we thought about some of the old practices that just weren't beneficial for students. "

For his part, Dreshon Robinson says the learning hub is giving him new skills to handle his schoolwork.

"I was like, studying is whack," he says. "But then you get to high school, you're like, 'Dang. maybe I do need to study,' but I'm like, 'I don't know how to study.' So you go to the learning hub, they help you."

He's happy to be back at school in person. He says he wants to go to college and pursue his dreams.

Diversity and Equity

Covid-19 has widened the ‘homework gap’ into a full-fledged learning gap, by emily tate sullivan     jun 16, 2020.

COVID-19 Has Widened the ‘Homework Gap’ Into a Full-Fledged Learning Gap

frankie's / Shutterstock

It’s a problem that many educators have been grappling with for years, but one that has been exacerbated—and made more public—by COVID-19: Many students lack sufficient internet connections at home to be able to complete their schoolwork.

Educators and digital equity advocates have tried a number of solutions to close the so-called “homework gap,” from deploying mobile hotspots to getting help from local businesses , but the problem has persisted. And then it finally erupted in March, when schools across the U.S. closed with little warning.

In a matter of days, the “homework gap” widened to a full-fledged learning gap, as computers and internet connections soared to the top of the list of required school supplies and districts made hasty plans to roll out virtual learning.

What that disparity has revealed about the education inequities in our country, according to Common Sense Media’s CEO Jim Steyer, is “a national disgrace.”

“Millions and millions of kids … don’t even have the basic essentials of what they need to be students during this time,” Steyer said during a virtual town hall hosted on Tuesday by his nonprofit. “Even as we move toward returning to school this summer and in the fall, we have an imperative to offer kids the opportunities they deserve.”

COVID-19 did not create the digital divide for students, added Robin Lake, the panel moderator and the director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE), which is based out of the University of Washington and has been tracking school districts’ transitions to distance learning. But the pandemic did force us to “stare [the problem] right in the eye.”

Aleesia Johnson, the superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools, described the abruptness of the closures as akin to a switch being flipped.

“You were in school one day, and the very next you were gone,” she explained. “You didn’t have any runway” to prepare.

Johnson said that before March, her district had about one device for every three students, “which, during school hours, worked fine.” But when students were forced to attend classes from their homes, the district learned that many needed school-issued devices to get online and at least 30 percent did not have access to high-speed internet in their homes. Many students were trying to log in and participate from their cell phones.

Indianapolis Public Schools distributed devices to students who lacked them, then ordered 1,500 mobile hotspots for those who also lacked reliable internet access. There were some delays, since so many other districts were trying to do the same thing simultaneously, but they were eventually able to get students what they needed, Johnson said.

The digital divide, like so many issues in the U.S., is “particularly egregious for folks of color,” said John King, Jr., the former Secretary of Education under the Obama administration and current president and CEO of the Education Trust.

Before COVID-19, Pew Research found that 25 percent of black teens had been unable to do their homework because of barriers to internet access at home, and 21 percent had used public Wi-Fi to do homework for the same reasons. That’s compared to 17 percent and 12 percent, respectively, for all U.S. teens.

Pew Research Center Homework Gap

“If folks can’t get on the internet, they can’t get their work done for class,” King noted.

Meanwhile, because people of color are overrepresented in jobs considered “essential” during the economic shutdown, some reports estimate that only one in five Black Americans and one in six Latinos are able to work from home during COVID-19. This means more Black and Latino students are trying to get their school work done in homes without parents present during the day to help supervise or hold their kids accountable, King said.

The digital divide impacts more than homework and grades, King explained. It has reverberations throughout the higher education and workforce pipelines, too. Students use the internet to research prospective colleges, apply to them, file for federal financial aid and scholarships, apply to jobs and internships, and more.

Because of that, access to the internet can be the difference between a student continuing or breaking the cycle of poverty in their family, Johnson noted. “We have to broaden our thinking about how technology is being leveraged in our homes,” she said.

In an effort to address the digital divide, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the HEROES Act in May, which includes the Emergency Connectivity Fund that would provide $1.5 billion for schools and libraries to buy computers, tablets and hotspots for their students during the pandemic. The Senate has not yet acted on the legislation. “We need those dollars,” King said, as well as additional investment from Congress to support students’ social-emotional and mental health needs and to address learning loss.

King suggested three other steps education leaders can take to close the digital divide.

First, superintendents need to be laser-focused on equity and making sure every student under their purview—regardless of race, income, ZIP code or otherwise—has access to the internet in the fall.

Second, district leaders should be “surveying, surveying, surveying,” to understand how parents experienced the spring distance learning experiment, whether they still lack sufficient devices or broadband connectivity, and whether they need additional technical support.

Finally, he said, districts should use the summer months to theirs and their students’ advantage. “Let’s not waste the next couple of months to address lost learning,” King said. He pointed out a tutoring initiative in Tennessee that pairs college students with K-6 students as an exemplar of what could be and needs to be done.

Emily Tate ( @ByEmilyTate ) is a reporter at EdSurge covering early childhood and K-12 education. Reach her at emily [at] edsurge [dot] com.

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What we know about online learning and the homework gap amid the pandemic.

A sixth grader completes his homework online in his family's living room in Boston on March 31, 2020.

America’s K-12 students are returning to classrooms this fall after 18 months of virtual learning at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some students who lacked the home internet connectivity needed to finish schoolwork during this time – an experience often called the “ homework gap ” – may continue to feel the effects this school year.

Here is what Pew Research Center surveys found about the students most likely to be affected by the homework gap and their experiences learning from home.

Children across the United States are returning to physical classrooms this fall after 18 months at home, raising questions about how digital disparities at home will affect the existing homework gap between certain groups of students.

Methodology for each Pew Research Center poll can be found at the links in the post.

With the exception of the 2018 survey, everyone who took part in the surveys is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the  ATP’s methodology .

The 2018 data on U.S. teens comes from a Center poll of 743 U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 conducted March 7 to April 10, 2018, using the NORC AmeriSpeak panel. AmeriSpeak is a nationally representative, probability-based panel of the U.S. household population. Randomly selected U.S. households are sampled with a known, nonzero probability of selection from the NORC National Frame, and then contacted by U.S. mail, telephone or face-to-face interviewers. Read more details about the NORC AmeriSpeak panel methodology .

Around nine-in-ten U.S. parents with K-12 children at home (93%) said their children have had some online instruction since the coronavirus outbreak began in February 2020, and 30% of these parents said it has been very or somewhat difficult for them to help their children use technology or the internet as an educational tool, according to an April 2021 Pew Research Center survey .

A bar chart showing that mothers and parents with lower incomes are more likely than fathers and those with higher incomes to have trouble helping their children with tech for online learning

Gaps existed for certain groups of parents. For example, parents with lower and middle incomes (36% and 29%, respectively) were more likely to report that this was very or somewhat difficult, compared with just 18% of parents with higher incomes.

This challenge was also prevalent for parents in certain types of communities – 39% of rural residents and 33% of urban residents said they have had at least some difficulty, compared with 23% of suburban residents.

Around a third of parents with children whose schools were closed during the pandemic (34%) said that their child encountered at least one technology-related obstacle to completing their schoolwork during that time. In the April 2021 survey, the Center asked parents of K-12 children whose schools had closed at some point about whether their children had faced three technology-related obstacles. Around a quarter of parents (27%) said their children had to do schoolwork on a cellphone, 16% said their child was unable to complete schoolwork because of a lack of computer access at home, and another 14% said their child had to use public Wi-Fi to finish schoolwork because there was no reliable connection at home.

Parents with lower incomes whose children’s schools closed amid COVID-19 were more likely to say their children faced technology-related obstacles while learning from home. Nearly half of these parents (46%) said their child faced at least one of the three obstacles to learning asked about in the survey, compared with 31% of parents with midrange incomes and 18% of parents with higher incomes.

A chart showing that parents with lower incomes are more likely than parents with higher incomes to say their children have faced tech-related schoolwork challenges in the pandemic

Of the three obstacles asked about in the survey, parents with lower incomes were most likely to say that their child had to do their schoolwork on a cellphone (37%). About a quarter said their child was unable to complete their schoolwork because they did not have computer access at home (25%), or that they had to use public Wi-Fi because they did not have a reliable internet connection at home (23%).

A Center survey conducted in April 2020 found that, at that time, 59% of parents with lower incomes who had children engaged in remote learning said their children would likely face at least one of the obstacles asked about in the 2021 survey.

A year into the outbreak, an increasing share of U.S. adults said that K-12 schools have a responsibility to provide all students with laptop or tablet computers in order to help them complete their schoolwork at home during the pandemic. About half of all adults (49%) said this in the spring 2021 survey, up 12 percentage points from a year earlier. An additional 37% of adults said that schools should provide these resources only to students whose families cannot afford them, and just 13% said schools do not have this responsibility.

A bar chart showing that roughly half of adults say schools have responsibility to provide technology to all students during pandemic

While larger shares of both political parties in April 2021 said K-12 schools have a responsibility to provide computers to all students in order to help them complete schoolwork at home, there was a 15-point change among Republicans: 43% of Republicans and those who lean to the Republican Party said K-12 schools have this responsibility, compared with 28% last April. In the 2021 survey, 22% of Republicans also said schools do not have this responsibility at all, compared with 6% of Democrats and Democratic leaners.

Even before the pandemic, Black teens and those living in lower-income households were more likely than other groups to report trouble completing homework assignments because they did not have reliable technology access. Nearly one-in-five teens ages 13 to 17 (17%) said they are often or sometimes unable to complete homework assignments because they do not have reliable access to a computer or internet connection, a 2018 Center survey of U.S. teens found.

A bar chart showing that in 2018, Black teens and those from lower-income households were especially likely to be impacted by the digital 'homework gap'

One-quarter of Black teens said they were at least sometimes unable to complete their homework due to a lack of digital access, including 13% who said this happened to them often. Just 4% of White teens and 6% of Hispanic teens said this often happened to them. (There were not enough Asian respondents in the survey sample to be broken out into a separate analysis.)

A wide gap also existed by income level: 24% of teens whose annual family income was less than $30,000 said the lack of a dependable computer or internet connection often or sometimes prohibited them from finishing their homework, but that share dropped to 9% among teens who lived in households earning $75,000 or more a year.

places to go to do homework during covid

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About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts .

Things to Do for Fun During COVID

Let us first acknowledge this: COVID-era fun is different from pre-COVID fun.

We know that a game night at home is not a game at Homewood Field, and that a streamed concert is not a night at the Ottobar. A socially distanced picnic is not Spring Fair, and the Houseparty app is not a house party.

We’re not doing big gatherings at the moment because it’s unsafe for you, for Hopkins, and for Baltimore. Right now we’re doing other stuff. We’ve curated a list below of experiences and activities that are either entirely virtual or local to the greater Baltimore area, and are possible to do while adhering to university protocols about masking and social distancing and gathering limitations .

We know there are a lot of “what to do during COVID….have you tried going for a walk?” lists out there. We wanted ours to be different and better. To that end, we’ve tried to limit our suggestions to things that are genuinely fun and worthwhile. We wanted to give you a list of places, ideas, and activities that will help you build quality relationships and wonderful college memories.

Some basic advice:

  • Manage your expectations a bit. Comparison is the thief of joy. If you’re constantly thinking “This is not how I pictured college,” you’re going to kill what fun there is to be had.
  • Remember that it’s important and healthy to have fun! Lack of fun will affect your mental health. Furthermore, if you don’t seek out COVID-safe social experiences, you’ll be that much more likely to eventually get bored or frustrated enough to participate in unsafe ones. Just giving up on fun is the social wellness equivalent of a crash diet. It works for a while, but when it fails, it completely fails.
  • Make the weekend a little different. COVID restrictions can make all the days run together; it’s worth it for your mental and social health to do something to mark the days you’ve set aside for rest, relaxation, and recreation. Have a COVID-safe end-of-the-school-week ritual (a celebratory playlist, a treat you only indulge in on weekends, etc.) that tells your brain, “It is the weekend now.” Plan a special meal or activity. Visit a new place, with friends or solo. Whatever your ritual is, follow university and local public health guidance on social distancing and masking as required.
  • COVID-era fun takes a little more planning than pre-COVID fun. It’s a hassle, but it’s necessary. You’ve got coordinate with friends versus a “come one, come all” mentality. You have to double check logistics, because public health guidance and operating hours are subject to change. You have to be prepared to pivot if you show up somewhere and find it’s too crowded. Sure, planned fun is less serendipitous than what you might have imagined your freewheeling college nights to be. But stuff that requires forethought can also result in unique experiences that you and your friends can really enjoy.
  • Be worthy of the trust, freedom, and responsibility you’ve been given. Almost anything on the list below could be done in COVID-safe ways and in COVID-unsafe ways. Most Hopkins students have complied with university and public health guidelines. But as we learned from the recent cluster , it only takes a few folks’ bad decisions to affect our whole community. There will always be people who try to bend the rules, find a loophole, or engage in some magical thinking about what is safe. Don’t do it. Hold yourself and your peers to a higher standard and find creative ways to enjoy your Hopkins experience. If you’re not sure if something’s a good idea, err on the side of caution and don’t do it.

Email us at [email protected] if you have ideas to add to the list. We’d love to hear from you!

Part I •  Part II •  Part III

Originally posted February 25, 2021, updated since then to reflect new information.

  • Explore Stony Run Trail , a nearly three-mile stretch of former railroad line that winds from the edge of the Homewood campus through woods and neighborhoods, ending near Northern Parkway. Bonus points if you can find the bench with the little community diary tucked underneath.
  • At several points, the Stony Run Trail intersects with the footpaths of Roland Park . These charming, semi-hidden walkways are woven through the Roland Park neighborhood, creating interesting and beautiful shortcuts.
  • Bike the Jones Falls Trail . This paved trail starts at Cylburn Aboretum and heads south into Baltimore City.
  • Lots of us are missing live music during COVID-19. It’s tough to find an exact substitute for a live concert, but there are a few virtual options. You can watch a concert film via a streaming service or pay to stream an actual live show (the Veeps platform has some cool options). We’re also partial to 87.9 FM WTMD which is available via app or on the actual radio (kids, ask your parents). Shows hosted by working performers like Dan Deacon and Kelly Bell have some of the energy and fun of a live show.
  • Check out Hopkins Groups for a mix of university-sponsored in-person and virtual events. Hopkins is full of creative people doing cool things.
  • Take a walk around Lake Montebello . This paved 1.4-mile loop around a serene reservoir is good for walking, biking, and rollerblading.
  • Go frisbee golfing at Druid Hill Park .
  • The Baltimore Museum of Art will be open to guests starting Sunday March 28. Visit the museum’s website for details.
  • Plan a quiet self-care night. Whatever that means to you.
  • Window shop (or actually shop) on the Avenue in Hampden. COVID has hit a lot of these small businesses pretty hard and they could use the support.
  • You too can go Threat Level: Midnight , à la the Dunder Mifflin crew in one of the best episodes of The Office , and do a table read of a screenplay. Choose a screenplay, assign roles, and laugh your heads off. This Daily Dot article has some further tips for making your table read a success (namely, pick a dialogue-heavy and relatively short script). This activity can be done IRL or virtually with friends near and far, or even a mix of both.
  • Take a cruise on the Harbor Connector . This commuter boat runs 6am to 8pm daily, and it’s a fun way to zig zag around the Inner Harbor and get some fresh air.
  • Exercise at the O’Connor Rec Center at Homewood or the Cooley Center in East Baltimore. Both locations offer virtual and in-person group fitness options.
  • Take a mural tour with local artist Liz Miller.
  • Visit the American Visionary Art Museum . Its iconic mirrored exterior is the one of the most Instagram-worthy spots in Baltimore; the interior is full of amazing bizarro outsider art that is guaranteed to disrupt your quarantine boredom. The AVAM also has fun art projects to do at home if you want to keep things entirely virtual.
  • Choose a really complicated recipe and try to make it. If it fails, order pizza. The fun is in the process, not the result.
  • Take an online cooking class. A great local option is Baltimore Chef Shop .
  • Wander around Second Chance to find discount used furniture and raw materials for your DIY projects or just gawk at the rows and rows and rows of one-of-a-kind secondhand items.
  • Definitely the most innovative idea on this list: marathon a show via your favorite streaming channel.
  • Related to No. 19: Establish a “streaming content club” where you all come together (virtually or IRL adhering to university guidelines or a mix of both) to discuss an episode (or a season) of a show. The club idea is a fun way to combine folks who watched a show when it first premiered and those who are just getting around to it. Be sure to establish a firm spoilers policy to avoid heartbreak for the latecomers.
  • Play a social online game. Contrary to the popular image of the isolated online gamer, there’s a host of wellness benefits to video games . Some favorites recommend to us by Hopkins students: Trivia Mafia, Animal Crossing, Overcooked, Don’t Starve Together, Minecraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Skribble, and Pokemon Go.
  • If you want to level up your gaming experience, get some friends to chip in and buy a private gaming session on the big screen at the Cinemark Theatre in Towson.
  • Cinemark also offers private viewing parties for movies .
  • Not interested in venturing into a theater, but also tired of passively watching movies? Make your own interactive movie night. Select your favorite genre (horror, romcoms, action, etc.) and use a randomized BINGO card generator that lists all the cliches of that particular type of film to create personalized cards for everyone. Have your friends Zoom in, mock the movie in the chat function, and compete for prizes.
  • Get down to Locust Point to see the new Domino’s Sugar sign . Just this summer, the iconic neon was replaced with an LED version. (It looks great.) While you’re in LP, you can drive by Under Armour HQ, visit Fort McHenry , and grab a treat at Ice Queens .
  • Visit Sherwood Gardens .
  • See a drive-in movie at Bengies .
  • Explore Patterson Park . Winter highlights include a self-guided mindfulness walk , the dog park, and the famous Pagoda. We’re also partial to sunset picnics near the Ellwood Avenue edge of the park, facing west toward the downtown skyline.
  • Take a jog with A Tribe Called Run .
  • If you’re missing your pets, a visit to the unofficial Wyman Park dog park off of Tudor Arms Drive is a good substitute. It’s a COVID-safe open air gathering place, and the dogs are great conversation starters if you are sick of talking to your housemates.
  • Pick a residence-hall- or rental-friendly DIY home project and do it. Paint something that you’re allowed to paint. (If you’re unsure, don’t paint it.) Build something. Rearrange your furniture. Go to Ace Hardware in Waverly or Falkenhan’s in Hampden for supplies and expert advice. Ask a friend to help, and then return the favor by helping them do something similar in their space. We’re all spending a lot of time at home these days; it might as well be set up exactly the way you want it to be.
  • Visit Roosevelt Skate Park and try not to face plant. If you’re not a skater, we still highly recommend this place because it’s weirdly soothing to watch.
  • Hopkins’ proximity to MICA means a lot of great art supply stores, like Artist & Craftsman Supply , BLICK , and the MICA store . Stop by, get some inspiration, buy some materials, and go home and make some art. It could be a solo project or a collaboration with friends. Even if the result is more Pinterest Fail than Picasso, the process can be fun.
  • Visit Experiential Education if you want to learn about upcoming workshops and trips. If you are outdoorsy, these are your people. If you’re not outdoorsy, the EE team will show you the way. They also have gear you can rent if you want to plan your own outing.
  • Just relax. Half-watch something on TV. Read a magazine that’s been laying around your room for months. Play a game on your phone. Exchange silly texts with your funniest long-distance friend. Allow FOMO to completely leave your body and life. Chill.
  • Do a self-guided tour from Explore Baltimore .
  • The Maryland Zoo was made for COVID-friendly visits.
  • Throw some axes at Urban Axes .
  • Play golf at one of Baltimore’s “ Classic Five ” public courses.
  • Visit the Rawlings Conservatory .
  • Support a Black-owned business .
  • Watch a concert or take a class with the Creative Alliance , a southeast Baltimore cultural gem just off the edge of Patterson Park.
  • Check out the virtual offerings at Center Stage , like the Butterfly Sessions .
  • If the GOPass sounds out of your budget, great news: Homewood Arts is sponsoring a free watch party for Center Stage’s production of The Glorious World of Crowns, Kinks and Curls on March 28. It’s part of a whole series of free events from Baltimore institutions like the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Everyman Theater, and more. Bookmark this page to keep track of events. Update: those events are over but Homewood Arts is still awesome.
  • If you’re more of a maker than a culture vulture, OpenWorks has a host of classes, studio space, and equipment for rent, in both virtual and IRL formats.
  • Make googly eyes at the Trash Wheel family . The newest addition to the clan, Gwynnda the Good Wheel of the West , made her debut on March 11.
  • Lean into the plant parent thing and go shopping at Greenfields , B. Willow , the 32nd Street Farmer’s Market , or Plantacea . Indoor nature exposure improves mental health.
  • Support your local bookstores like Greedy Reads (Remington and Fells Point) and the Ivy Bookstore . If you go to the Ivy, be sure to check out the charming park behind the building.
  • See if you can find all of the Baltimore Salt Boxes . If you’re feeling inspired, make one of your own.
  • Take a hike around Lake Roland . It’s just barely over the city line in Baltimore County, and features paved walkways, hiking trails, and a great big dam with a cool waterfall.
  • If you’re missing the fun of live pro sports and want to experience some local sports culture, the Baltimore Ravens have helpfully created a playlist of the franchise’s 25 best games ever on their YouTube channel. You can watch the full games, including Super Bowl XLVII (aka the Harbaugh Bowl aka the Blackout), the Mile High Miracle (a famous game-winning TD pass from Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones), and a high-scoring, come-from-behind OT win over Seattle in 2003 (a fast-paced choice that will hold the interest of casual fans, plus a chance to see HOFer Ed Reed at his best). Any game on the list would be a fun game watch with a small group of friends IRL, or virtually if you want to watch with a larger crew.

Posted on March 26, 2021. Updated on September 3, 2021 to reflect new information.

  • Roll on over to Skateland in Putty Hill.
  • Check out Hopkins Engage for COVID-safe volunteering opportunities like vacant lot clean-up, delivering produce to the elderly, and non-clinical vaccination roles.
  • Browse the recommendations over at Baltimore Collegetown’s Weekly Cheap and Free series .
  • Bold claim: the National Aquarium is BETTER during COVID because the 25% capacity means it’s way less crowded and noisy. It’s a calming experience during a generally uncalm time in our lives.
  • When we asked students what they were missing most lately, a lot of you said swimming!
  • Great news: the O’Connor Rec Center pool is open, albeit with limited hours. (The outdoor pool at Cooley in East Baltimore is slated to open Memorial Day weekend.) Access to the Rec Center (including the pool) is free to undergraduates and available to other Hopkins affiliates for a modest monthly fee . Update: O’Connor’s pool is currently closed and will reopen on September 27. The Cooley pool is open through Labor Day.
  • O’Connor Rec Center also has some brand-new lawn games that members can borrow for free. They have giant Jenga, bocce, ladder ball, cornhole (both standard and tailgate sizes), Slammo, and more.
  • We know dining out with friends is one of your most-missed activities, but there are ways to make an at-home meal feel more like you’re at a restaurant . (If you’re not a cook, just order take out and use our plating, décor, and hosting tips to make your meal more restaurant-y!)
  • Set up a DIY outdoor movie theater .
  • A virtual way to explore Baltimore is through the Out of the Blocks podcast , co-created by Peabody Institute professor Wendel Patrick . NPR called it a “uniquely immersive listening experience that emerges from a mosaic of voices and soundscapes on the streets of Baltimore.”
  • Local musician Ed Hrybyk hosts free outdoor concerts every week, weather permitting. While there’s no admission fee for these concerts, please tip the musicians as you’re able.
  • Baltimore has a vibrant bluegrass music scene; keep up-to-date on live jams (which are still virtual as of this writing, but may become live in the future) via the Baltimore Bluegrass Jam FB group or follow Alex Lacquement on IG for news about local events.
  • Get some friends to chip for a Sidewalk Serenade concert.
  • April is the official start of blue crab season in Maryland, and a crab feast is a huge, fun mess so it’s perfect for small outdoor gatherings. You’ll need to borrow or buy some (relatively cheap) stuff to pick the crabs and prevent your table from being ruined; Baltimore Magazine has a helpful guide . Be sure to invite AT LEAST one experienced crab picker to show the rest of your crew how to do it; crabs are expensive and you don’t want any of that delicious crab meat going to waste.
  • Visit the Walters Art Museum , which is just across the street from the Peabody Institute. If you want to keep things totally virtual, the Walters has a series of virtual tours geared towards young adults and college students.
  • Explore the Maryland Center for History and Culture , also in Mt. Vernon.
  • Visit the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History and Culture .
  • You don’t need to travel to Washington, DC to see some pretty pink blossoms; you just need to go to Union Memorial Hospital to see some beautiful cherry trees . Fun fact: the current trees are the descendants of two trees originally gifted to the hospital in 1939 by a grateful patient, mobster Al Capone (yes really). The gift was a thank you for curing his syphilis-related dementia (yes really). Capone originally came to Baltimore to be treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital, but the hospital’s board refused to admit the notorious gangster for treatment (yes really).
  • Attend a (virtual) Shriver Hall concert or lecture .
  • Make a cake and submit it to the Sheridan Libraries’ Read It & Eat It contest . (Submission deadline is April 1.)  Update: Behold the 2021 contest winners .
  • Make a cake and eat it. Probably not all at once. (No deadline.)
  • Do some gardening at Blue Jay’s Perch .
  • Check out what’s going on with Backyard Basecamp and BLISS Meadows , a Baltimore green space that is explicitly dedicated to helping BIPOC folks connect with nature. Events include training for educators and monthly wellness walks for health professionals. Founder Atiya Wells , a registered nurse, is a 2021 Bunting Neighborhood Leadership Fellow through the Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute . Wells and the BLISS Meadows project were recently featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
  • Try a Baltimore City Parks and Recreation event . We’re partial to Forest Bathing 101 and the array of kayaking and canoe trips.
  • Support an AAPI cultural organization or business .
  • Visit the country’s oldest continuously operating blacksmith shop .
  • Stream a play from the Everyman Theater .
  • Pick a date to see the JHU Barnstormers’ upcoming production of Bare: A Pop Opera . UPDATE: The ‘Bare’ run is over but the Barnstormers’ fundraiser is going strong. Consider a donation, as your budget allows.
  • Get plugged into a Digital Media Center workshop to learn about emerging technologies.

Posted on April 29, 2021. Updated on September 3, 2021 to reflect new information.

  • Support Johns Hopkins Athletics , either in person or virtually. Visit individual team pages for virtual viewing options, which vary.
  • See how many Cicada Parade-a statues you can find.
  • Get nerdy with nature and participate in the City Nature Challenge . Part scavenger hunt, part photo challenge, entirely fun and COVID-safe.
  • If you haven’t been able to explore Baltimore as much as you’d like due to COVID restrictions (or being remote), check out movies like Dark City Beneath the Beat (streaming on Netflix), books by D. Watkins (an SOE alum) and Laura Lippman , and this playlist of current Baltimore artists based on suggestions from Peabody professors Judah Adashi and David Smooke .
  • Shop at one of Baltimore’s many farmers markets . (Everyone knows about Waverly but have you been to the others like Johns Hopkins Hospital or Druid Hill? Also, getting up early to grocery shop on Saturday mornings is not for everyone and some of the other options are on different days of the week.)
  • Visit the Carry On Shop (operated by The Women’s Board of Johns Hopkins Hospital ) at one of their two locations (Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Shops at Kenilworth). This secondhand store has great prices on quality clothing and a variety of home goods. Their hours vary by location, so double check that they’re open before you go.
  • Go to an Orioles game.
  • Visit the grave of Edgar Allan Poe at Westminister Hall . Speculate wildly about the identity of the Poe Toaster .
  • Take an outdoor in-person yoga class with Baltimore Free Yoga at Sisson Street Park (a former President’s Day of Service project in Remington) on Thursdays at 6:30pm. Registration is required. BFY also offers some virtual classes.
  • Grab a seat on the patio at Belvedere Square for lunching, studying, and people watching.
  • Visit the recently renovated Central Branch of the Enoch Pratt Public Library. If you can’t make it there in person, check out their really robust and diverse virtual events, especially the Writers LIVE! Series.
  • If you’ve been feeling blue, take the Stress and Depression Questionnaire . It’s a confidential, convenient, and safe way to find out how stress and depression may be affecting you, and to learn more about available mental health resources at Johns Hopkins and in the community. (We realize this suggestion may push the boundaries of “fun” but it’s a great tool.)
  • Play tennis, the perfect social distancing sport. There are courts on campus at Homewood, and a variety of others throughout the city.
  • If you’re an architecture, urban planning, or sustainability geek, visit the Coldspring New Town development. Located about three miles northwest of the Homewood campus, renowned architect Moshe Safdie designed it as a response to urban population loss and environmental concerns in the 1970s. It was praised from a design perspective when it was first built, but it never quite took off the way that many hoped .
  • Write some Cards for Courage . The organization, which sends notes to hospital patients, was launched last year by three Hopkins undergraduates.
  • If you have access to a car, drive one of Maryland’s scenic byways . (You will not believe how fast Falls Road stops looking like Hampden and starts looking like horse country.)
  • Speaking of horses: you can take a riding lesson or a trail ride at City Ranch, Inc . (Adult group lessons are $90 so it may be worth seeing if you can get a group of friends to chip in.)
  • If you’re too lazy to get into COVID baking but still want to make a fun and delicious dessert, look into a Baltimore classic with only two ingredients: the Lemon Stick . It’s a mainstay of the Flower Mart at Mt. Vernon .
  • Take a one-day intro to sailing class with the Downtown Sailing Center .
  • If you’re missing the experience of travel, take a dream vacation via one of the Calm app’s travelogue Sleep Stories. Calm premium content is available to all Hopkins affiliates for free via calm.com/jhu .
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How to reach students without internet access during coronavirus? Schools get creative

Handwritten assignments like the one pictured here can be turned in at special homework drop boxes in Aberdeen, S.D.

This article about students without internet access at home was produced by The Hechinger Report , a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education.

On the Friday before spring break at Meigs Middle School in Decatur, Tennessee, special education teacher Matt Coe was busy preparing new lessons for his students now that schools were set to close because of the coronavirus crisis.

But while many districts around the country have moved to remote learning platforms like Google Classroom, Coe was using the school’s copy machine to put together printed packets for his students to take home. In this rural Tennessee county of just 12,000 residents, online learning simply isn’t an option for most families.

“A lot of our kids don’t have internet access,” said Coe, who knows students who routinely head to the library or the town’s McDonald’s to get online.

The Federal Communications Commission estimates that about 21 million Americans lack broadband access, while an independent research group reports that the actual number may be twice as high. As the coronavirus forces schools across the country to grapple with the challenges of providing remote learning, many schools and districts have had to get creative with low-tech forms of instruction that don’t require internet connections or digital devices.

Related: Helping kids who are feeling isolated and anxious after schools shut down

In Arkansas, where 23 percent of households lack internet service, and schools will be shut for the remainder of the school year, the local PBS affiliate is providing daily television programming tied to the state’s distance learning curriculum. The network got the idea from a similar arrangement that the Los Angeles Unified School District made with its own local PBS stations in mid-March.

“We saw what California was doing,” said the executive director of Arkansas PBS, Courtney Pledger. “We wanted to localize it even more by bringing in actual teachers to address the kids.”

Like all of the Arkansas teachers featured by local PBS stations in a statewide initiative, Stacey McAdoo has been a state Teacher of the Year.

The result is five hours of weekday programming for pre-K to eighth grade students, available to any household with a TV, hosted by a roster of Arkansas educators, all former state teachers of the year. Recording remotely from their homes or empty classrooms, the teachers introduce each episode by welcoming students to “class,” sharing how excited they are to meet everyone and talking briefly about the upcoming show; a recent lineup included “Peg + Cat,” a math program aimed at elementary-age kids, “Odd Squad,” which focuses on problem-solving and teamwork, and a “Nature” episode on the biomechanics of hummingbirds.

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

Pledger said that the state’s education department approved all of the broadcast content and that the benefit goes beyond academics.

“Community engagement is a big element that kids are missing during this time, so to have an actual face of a teacher on the TV seemed like a good idea,” she said.

Arkansas math teacher Joel Lookadoo teaches students about geometrical shapes on the state's new TV-based education programming for children enrolled in kindergarten through eighth grade.

The programming also incorporates some interactive elements to keep kids engaged. One popular feature is a weekly vocabulary bingo game, with students on the lookout for words highlighted during the broadcasts. Students who collect all of their words for the week receive shoutouts or other tokens of recognition from their schools.

“I’ve gotten texts and emails from families saying: ‘Hey, we’re watching this morning. Thanks for doing this,’” said math teacher Joel Lookadoo, one of the hosts. “That’s really cool to know that you’re having a positive impact. It’s a great way to start the day.”

“We are heartbroken that we can’t be with our students right now,” added Courtney Cochran, another host, and an Arkansas teacher for 11 years. Being on TV “just brings back that little bit of that connection since we can’t be there physically.”

Cochran, now a high school principal, films her segments for grades three to five in her school’s now-empty art room. “We are a small rural school with only 270 students. And they are bursting at the seams with pride over seeing their classroom on TV,” even though the programming is for younger kids than the high school serves.

Courtney Cochran, a high school principal, introduces her co-hosts for Arkansas PBS's new educational programming: teachers Meghan Ables and Joel Lookadoo.

The state contracts with a separate vendor for its high school distance learning program, which does not provide a TV option.

Over-the-air educational programming is also available through Boston’s PBS affiliate, WGBH, which has devoted weekday afternoons on its WORLD television channel to science and social studies-themed shows aimed at middle school and high school students. As with the Arkansas effort, the schedule draws from existing PBS programming, and includes long-running series like “Nature” and “American Experience.” The channel is available to more than 170 PBS affiliates nationwide.

“For students who don’t have online access, we’re happy to be able to provide this,” said Seeta Pai, executive director of education at WGBH. In Massachusetts, she said, more than half of the households watching the WORLD channel during the first week of educational programming had incomes of less than $25,000 a year, a group far less likely to have reliable internet access.

In an effort to minimize screen time now that students are home all day, Rhode Island state education officials are promoting reading for leisure, with an at-home challenge for students to spend 20 to 60 minutes every day reading a book. Several public libraries in the state are providing curbside delivery of books to support the initiative, and many schools and districts are offering a free book pickup service with the help of local literacy groups.

Related: Evidence increases for reading on paper instead of screens

In South Dakota, the Aberdeen School District has put physical drop boxes at school entrances so that students who are receiving printed packets can hand in their homework. Texas’ Palestine Independent School District has partnered with the local paper to use unlocked newspaper vending machines as pickup stations for instructional packets.

Recognizing how important it is for students to maintain a sense of structure amid the upheaval of school closings, the Council Bluffs Community School District in Iowa has distributed a suggested daily schedule to its roughly 9,000 students, with time blocked out for physical exercise and quiet time, as well as household chores.

Another low-tech resource schools are tapping? School buses. Drivers in many districts continue to travel their regular routes, delivering meals and homework at their stops.

This is especially true in rural areas where many families are unable to make the trip to designated pickup sites. Students rely on the food and paper packets delivered to their driveways in the small Mary M. Knight School District in Washington state, said the district’s sole principal, Michael Marstrom.

“There are kids that live miles down a dirt road, and that just gets them to a paved road. There’s no sidewalks here,” he said. “There’s just not as much infrastructure. We don’t have internet. We can’t do any of that online stuff.”

Related: Should schools teach anyone who can get online — or no one at all?

For rural school districts that are committed to providing all of their students with options for digital learning, the transition is often a multistep process.

At Lincoln Middle School in West Virginia, principal Lori Scott estimates that about a quarter of the school’s 458 kids lack internet access at home. The district initially made instructional packets available at schools designated as meal distribution locations and also mailed some to students’ homes. Buoyed by a large turnout at these locations, the district now plans to deliver future packets electronically by expanding those schools’ Wi-Fi signals to cover their parking lots, allowing families to drive up and download the materials without having to leave their cars.

To accommodate students without digital devices, the district has been making iPads available. For those not able to make the trip, school buses have been converted into mobile hot spots, and will be stationed throughout the district, offering free broadband.

While these efforts are important and meaningful, everyone acknowledges that the learning challenges facing students extend beyond simply receiving educational materials, whether they come on paper, over the airwaves or in gigabytes.

“There’s a lot more distractions when kids are at home than when they’re sitting in a classroom,” said John Windhausen, executive director of the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition, an advocacy group for wider internet access. “Many of them may not have a quiet area at home where they can concentrate.”

A large part of students’ social and emotional learning occurs through interactions with classmates and teachers, who can be some of the most reliable adults in many students’ lives. Teachers also keep track of where students are academically and anticipate what they will need next to continue to succeed, a skill even the most attentive parents may not have.

Download the NBC News app for full coverage and alerts about the coronavirus outbreak

For children with special needs, the problem is even more acute. Parents across the country are grappling with how to duplicate, on their own, the care their children were receiving in school from trained specialists and therapists. Many parents lack the time and expertise to continue this work. It’s something Coe, the special education teacher from rural Tennessee, was conscious of when assembling materials for his students.

“It was kind of a challenge to put those packets together with work that I felt my students could do, because we weren’t going to be there to modify it for them,” Coe said. Because of the wide range of needs in his class, no two student packets were identical. In his math lessons, some students are just learning how to read a menu and find the prices. Others can easily calculate the taxes and a tip.

Coe knows that districts, schools and teachers are all doing their best, but he worries about his students’ progress, both academically and emotionally. All he can do, he said, is try to provide whatever semblance of continuity he can.

“For the most part, we’re just trying to survive,” he said.

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100+ Fun Things to Do at Home Right Now, From Virtual Tours to Animals Cams and More

Here are tons of fun things to do at home for the entire family during your coronavirus quarantine.

Tanner Saunders is a Brooklyn-based travel editor and writer who has worked for Travel + Leisure , The Points Guy , Thrillist , and more.

places to go to do homework during covid

It’s safe to say things are understandably weird right now. As the world reacts to the COVID-19 pandemic , people across the planet are staying home, quarantining, and practicing social distancing as an effort to slow — and hopefully stop — the spread of coronavirus. Though staying home is totally necessary right now, it means many of us have found ourselves with a lot of time on our hands. If you're struggling to figure out how to keep yourself occupied beyond your usual at-home hobbies of Netflix and chill , you're not alone.

For us, we’ve taken this time to really lean into the leisure side of Travel + Leisure , and help our readers around the world realize that we’re all actually a lot closer than it feels right now. If you’re like us, the idea of not being able to get outside to explore is difficult , but we’ve found that virtual travel is not only fun and exciting, it’s helping us see and understand places we’ve only dreamed about going. From the comfort of your couch you can explore the depths of Carlsbad Caverns and other national parks before “jetting off” to a virtual tour of the Louvre in Paris . Afterwards join an online cooking demonstration from a world-famous chef before sitting down to a breathtaking performance from New York City’s Metropolitan Opera . The world’s the limit — really .

So whether you’re at home trying to find educational stimulation for your kids, in a tiny apartment with your best friend from college dreaming about restaurants, or alone with your dog or plant calling everyone you know on FaceTime, we’ve gathered up a massive list of fun things to do at home during this time. From livestreams of animals to games to play virtually , these activities will keep you entertained, informed, and hopefully put a smile on your face. And we all could use a smile right now.

Take a virtual trip at home

With travel basically at a standstill, it’s time to embrace a new way to see the world — virtual travel and virtual tours. Thanks to the World Wide Web we can go pretty much as far as desired — all without a passport. Below we’ve rounded up the very best ways to experience the world outside our homes from the comfort of our couches, all broken down by different activity types to make it easier to get going.

Go sightseeing around the world with these virtual destinations

  • This Site is a One-Stop Destination for World Tours, Classes, and Travel Experiences You Can Have from Home
  • Discover the Mystery of Easter Island and the Beauty of Chile With This Interactive App
  • Chicago Is One of the Coolest Cities in the Country — and You Can Take a Virtual Trip There Right Now
  • How to Take a Virtual Trip to Montreal
  • These Virtual Tours of Europe's Famous Castles Will Make You Feel Like a Royal, Even in Your Pajamas
  • Watch These Relaxing 360-videos for a Moment of Waterside Zen
  • Relax for a Few Minutes With a Virtual Visit to Saint Lucia
  • Hotels Around the World Are Livestreaming Their Views to Make You Feel Like You’re on Vacation
  • Explore Bucket-list Attractions Like Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal Without Leaving Home
  • Grab a Guinness and Take These Virtual Tours of Ireland and the Guinness Storehouse
  • Take a Virtual Trip to Some of the Most-visited Stops on NYC’s Fifth Avenue
  • Take a Virtual Trip to Puerto Rico to Salsa Dance, Mix Cocktails, and Master Your Cooking Skills
  • 13 Virtual Train Rides From Around the World That You Can Experience Right Now
  • Take a Digital Dog Sled Ride Through Fairbanks on This Virtual Trip to Alaska
  • See Buckingham Palace, Stonehenge, and More on This Virtual Trip Around the United Kingdom
  • How to Visit the Wonders of Peru and Machu Picchu From the Safety of Your Couch
  • Learn to Make a Lei, Hula, and Fry Ahi Tuna With This Cultural Series From Hawaiian Airlines
  • Enjoy Island Living While Stuck at Home by Taking a Virtual Trip to Aruba
  • Take a Virtual Trip to New Orleans and Experience the Big Easy at Home
  • From Tel Aviv’s Beach to the World’s Holiest Sites, Here’s How to Take a Virtual Tour of Israel
  • Tour the Castle Where the Queen Is Self-quarantined From Your Couch
  • The Biggest Party in the U.S. Virgin Islands Is Going Digital — Here’s How to Celebrate Carnival Virtually
  • Enjoy Denver at a Distance With These Unique Online Experiences

Explore museums, art, theater, and culture at home

  • Stuck at Home? These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch
  • Discover Some of Banksy's Best Street Art Without Stepping Outside
  • The Sydney Opera House Is Bringing Music, Education, and More to Your Living Room
  • The Grammy Museum Is Now Offering Online Music and Video Production Classes
  • This App Will Turn Your Phone Into an Interactive Museum You Can Play With for Hours
  • The Neon Museum's Virtual Tour Will Light Up Your Living Room Like It's the Las Vegas Strip
  • A Botanical Garden in Seattle Is Livestreaming Plants to Help You Relax
  • Museums Around the World Are Sharing Their Most Zen Art on Social Media to Help People Relax
  • The Metropolitan Opera Is Offering Free Virtual Shows
  • BroadwayHD Is Letting You Watch Your Favorite Musicals For Free — for a Limited Time
  • The Globe Theater Is Closed, but You Can Stream Shakespeare's Plays
  • Museums Around the World Are Sharing Their Creepiest Objects on Twitter
  • Broadway’s Biggest Stars Are Doing Virtual Meet and Greets, Singing Lessons, and Sending Personalized Videos
  • 10 Virtual Road Trips That'll Inspire You to Plan Your Next Big Adventure
  • MoMa Is Offering Free Online Courses for Art Lovers (and People Trying to Understand It)
  • This New Google Feature Transforms Your Photos Into Art Inspired by Legends Like Frida Kahlo and Vincent van Gogh
  • NYC's Lincoln Center Is Offering Free Online Concerts and Educational Material for Kids
  • Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Best Musicals Will Be Available to Stream Every Friday During Quarantine
  • BroadwayHD Is Letting You Watch Your Favorite Musicals For Free — For a Limited Time
  • The Globe Theater Is Closed But You Can Stream Shakespeare's Plays

Get “outside” while stuck at home

  • Need to Get Outside? These 5 National Parks Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take From the Comfort of Home
  • This Virtual Tour of the Carlsbad Caverns Will Entertain You (and Your Kids) for Hours
  • This Virtual Tour of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park Will Make You Feel Like You're on an Epic Island Hike
  • Visit Glacier National Park Without Getting Off Your Couch
  • Tour These 7 Beautiful Southern Gardens Virtually — Pollen Not Included
  • Take a Virtual Tour of the Great Barrier Reef With David Attenborough As Your Guide
  • You Can Now See Spring's Prettiest Cherry Trees in Full Bloom From the Comfort of Your Own Home
  • Take a Virtual Hike on the Great Wall of China From the Comfort of Your Couch
  • Attention Nature Lovers: This New Site Can Help You Find Outdoor Experiences You Don't Have to Share
  • Make Yourself a Margarita and Take This Virtual Tour of Florida's Best Beaches
  • How You Can Watch the D.C. Cherry Blossoms Bloom From Home
  • California’s Iconic Poppy Fields Are in Bloom — and You Can See Them Safely at Home
  • These Yellowstone National Park Webcams Will Cure Your Cabin Fever
  • Tune in to These Yosemite National Park Webcams to Fuel Your Love of the Outdoors
  • Los Angeles Is Known for Its Gorgeous Sunsets — and You Can Tune in From Home Every Evening
  • Take a Nighttime Virtual Tour of Bryce Canyon National Park and See Some Magnificent Stars
  • Visit All the Wonders of Alaska Without Leaving Home
  • How to Go on an Epic Safari Without Getting Off Your Couch
  • 12 Virtual Walking Trails Around the World That You Can Experience Right Now
  • Want to Leave This Planet? NASA Is Offering Some Seriously Cool Virtual Space Tours Right Now

What to eat and drink while stuck at home

Whether your shelves are totally stocked or you're trying to figure out how to make dinner with a box of noodles, can of beans, and some cookie dough, don’t fret. World-class chefs and Italian nonnas are taking to social media to teach you how to cook — and has there ever been a better time to learn? Plus, breweries are hosting virtual happy hours, quarantini happy hours abound, and digital mixology classes are popping up left and right.

Cocktails, mocktail, and drink recipes

  • The Piña Colada Was Invented in This Glamorous Puerto Rican Hotel — and We Have the Original Recipe
  • Grab a Drink and Hang Out With Some of New York’s Beer Experts at These Nightly Virtual Happy Hours
  • Bombay Sapphire Launches Online Platform for DIY Projects and Mixology Classes Amid Coronavirus Quarantine
  • Cocktails With Friends Over Video Chat Is the New Way to Socialize — Here's How to Have Your Own Quarantini Happy Hour
  • 10 Cocktails That Will Take You Around the World While You're Stuck at Home

Food recipes

  • Celebrity Chefs Offer Online Demos to Help Us Work on Our Cooking Skills While We're at Home
  • This Italian Chef Is Teaching Traditional Tuscan Cooking Classes on Instagram
  • Take a Free Online Cooking Class From the World-famous Borough Market in London
  • This Adorable Italian Nonna Offers Virtual Pasta-making Classes From Her Gorgeous Home Outside of Rome
  • 10 Cookbooks to Satisfy Your Appetite for Travel
  • Ikea Reveals the Recipe for Their Swedish Meatballs — and Yes, It Includes Illustrated Instructions
  • Brownies Were Invented at This Chicago Hotel — and You Can Bake the Original Recipe at Home
  • DoubleTree by Hilton’s Chocolate Chip Cookies Are Loved by Millions — and We Have the Official Recipe
  • Miss Flying? These Emirates Chefs Will Teach You How to Make Their Most Popular In-flight Dishes
  • The Best Chefs in Texas Are Sharing Weekly Taco Tuesday Recipes
  • How to Cook Like an 'Iron Chef' Using Only Pantry Staples, According to Marc Forgione
  • Please Enjoy This 8-hour Video of Chips Being Dunked in Delicious Queso
  • These World-class Hotel Chefs Will Create Custom Recipes Based on the Ingredients You Already Have at Home
  • Walt Disney's Homemade Chili Is the Comforting Recipe We All Need Right Now
  • 18 Italian Hotel Chefs Share Their Favorite Recipes to Help You Get a Taste of Home

Things to do at home with kids

With most schools shut down and kids turning to online lessons, it’s obvious that little ones are also learning to adjust to this new normal. Luckily, we’ve found plenty of fun and exciting activities for parents to do with their kids — and digital adventures kids can get lost in on their own. Play some travel-inspired games to help them learn about landmarks or set them loose in a virtual children’s museum to let their imaginations run wild.

  • Your Family Can Make Piñatas at Home With Help From This Luxury Hotel in Mexico
  • This Children's Museum Is Helping Kids Travel the World From the Comfort of Their Living Rooms With At-home Programming
  • Over 100 Museums, Libraries, and Galleries Are Offering Free, Printable Coloring Sheets
  • Take a Virtual Field Trip With These Videos and Livestreams From the Kennedy Space Center
  • 10 Travel-themed Puzzles That Are Perfect for Doing at Home
  • Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ on Broadway Is Offering a Free Online Theater Course for Kids
  • Harry Styles Will Read You A Calming Bedtime Story on This Meditation App
  • ‘Harry Potter at Home’ Is Bringing the Best of Hogwarts Right Into Your Living Room
  • Quarantine Just Got a Lot More Exciting Thanks to This Google Feature That Will Bring a Virtual Shark Into Your House
  • Hawaii Is Only as Far as Your Living Room With This At-home Luau

How to experience Disney at home

There’s nothing more magical than a trip to a Disney park, and, sadly, many of us had to cancel trips to Anaheim and Orlando (and beyond) as coronavirus spread around the country when many families were about to embark on spring break. Disney parks have totally shut down , though reservations are open starting June 1. It remains to be seen if that will actually happen, but until then you can certainly conjure up some Disney magic at home by attending a virtual parade or taking a virtual ride. Here’s how to experience Disney at home:

  • Experience Disney Parks Around the World With These Virtual Rides (Video)
  • 7 Ways to Bring the Disney Magic Home While the Parks Are Closed (Video)
  • This Sweet Video Will Remind You Why You Love the Disney Parks, Even While They're Closed
  • A Baby Porcupine and Zebra Were Born at Disney's Animal Kingdom — and They're so Cute (Video)
  • This Virtual Disney Parade Will Brighten Up Your Day With Beloved Characters and Stunning Floats
  • Disney Fans Are Recreating Famous Theme Park Rides at Home — and It's Amazing
  • These Virtual Disney Rides Will Make Your Couch the Happiest Place on Earth (Video)
  • Learn the Secrets of Being a Disney Imagineer With This Free Online Course Your Entire Family Can Take Right Now
  • John Stamos Wants to Read You a Disney Bedtime Story
  • These Photos of Sunrise at Disney Parks Around the World Remind Us 'There's a Great, Big, Beautiful Tomorrow' (Video)
  • Take a Virtual Tour of Disneyland Paris With This Fascinating Video Series

Disney Recipes

  • Recreate the Famous Disney Dole Whip at Home With Just 3 Ingredients
  • 5 Disney Recipes to Bring the Magic Home While the Parks Are Closed
  • Disney Parks May Be Closed, but You Can Make Their Magical Churros at Home With This Recipe
  • Recreate Your Favorite Disney Coffee Drinks With Joffrey's — The Official Specialty Brew of the Park

Virtually visit other theme parks around the world

  • Take a Virtual Trip to Orlando to Ride Rollercoasters, Hang With Animals, and Discover New Arts and Culture

Games to play at home during quarantine

It’s safe to say that there’s plenty of time to play games right now, and it’s a fun way to get the whole family involved in activity. Below are some great games to play that are fun, educational, or even both. And for the travelers out there, Travel + Leisure has even created some of our own games for you to play to inspire a little wanderlust.

  • Think You Know Your Skylines? Take This Quiz to Find Out
  • NASA's Online Game Can Help Save the Coral Reefs — and Your Boredom During Quarantine
  • How Well Do You Know Your National Parks? Take Our Video Quiz to Find Out
  • Need a Travel-inspired Break? This Spot-the-difference Game Will Give You a Dose of Wanderlust

What to watch at home during quarantine

While it’s true that this is certainly a time to do some armchair tourism, let’s face it, it’s also a chance to binge, binge, binge some TV shows and movies. And though you’ve probably already watched Tiger King and Love Is Blind , we’ve gathered up everything else you should be binge-watching while stuck at home. We even have a handy guide to the best wine to pair with every type of TV show .

  • How to Create Your Own Home Theater and Enjoy a 'Night Out' at the Movies
  • 7 Travel Movies and Shows to Watch on Netflix Right Now
  • Hallmark Is Having a Christmas Movie Marathon This Weekend to Spread a Little Joy
  • 11 Calming Videos of Cute Animals, Natural landscapes, and Other Relaxing Scenes You need Right Now
  • This Netflix 'Party' Extension Lets You Have a Remote Movie Night by Syncing Accounts
  • This New Show Combines Disney and Cooking for a Family-friendly Competition

What to read at home right now

If you’re like me, TV can only last so long before you need to change it up. There are plenty of travel books to give your mind a little sense of wanderlust while you’re at home, and libraries around the world are beefing up their digital subscriptions so you can download books straight to your favorite devices.

  • This App Lets You Get Thousands of E-books and Audio Books For Free
  • 10 Books That Will Transport You From Your Couch
  • 30 Travel-themed Books by Black Authors That Will Fuel Your Desire to See the World
  • You Can Chat With a Famous Author or Listen to Drag Queen Storytime With Airbnb’s New Literary Experiences
  • Let Michelle Obama Be Your Substitute At-home Teacher With Her New Reading Program

How to watch an animal livestream at home

If there’s one group that seems to be thriving during this unfortunate time, it’s animals. Dogs have never been happier as their owners are spending hours-on-hours at home. It may be a different story for cats. But whether you have a pet or not, zoos, farms, and animal sanctuaries around the world are here to help by livestreaming their most adorable animals right into your living room. Might we suggest tossing one of these bad boys up on your TV and, well, never turning it off?

  • These Zoo Live Cams Let You Hang Out With Pandas, Giraffes, and Other Adorable Animals All Day Long
  • San Antonio Zoo Livestream Lets You Practice Yoga With Lions, Bears, and Other Creatures

How to connect with celebrities at home

Celebrities, like us, are also stuck at home right now. And they’re using this time to give live performances, teach us classes on things they’re experts at, and generally trying to keep us smiling. Here’s how celebrities can keep you entertained for a few hours.

  • Learn Skills From Gordon Ramsay, Christina Aguilera, and Simone Biles This Weekend While You're at Home
  • Watch Musicians Like Lizzo and John Legend Perform Live From Their Quarantines
  • BTS Just Dropped a Web Series to Help You Learn Korean at Home
  • Celebrities, Orchestras, and More Are Streaming Live Music to Your Living Room — Here's How to Listen
  • Celebrities Around the World Are Using Social Media to Give Live Concerts, Teach Classes, and Keep People Entertained at Home
  • You Can Stream Daily Live Concerts From Artists Like Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, BTS, and More

The best classes to take online right now

One good way to spend this time is to take a class online. Maybe you’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to learn a new language or brush up or finally learn some basic accounting. Trust me, now’s the time. And you can even take free classes from Harvard. So what are you waiting for?

  • Yale's Popular Happiness Class Is Now Available Online for Free — Here's What It Entails
  • You Can Take Online Classes at an Ivy League School for Free Right Now
  • This Language App Is Offering Free Subscriptions For Students From Kindergarten to College
  • This Online Airbnb Experience Will Teach You How to Irish Step Dance at Home
  • Enroll in Virtual Hogwarts Classes on This Incredible Harry Potter Fan-created Site

How to stay fit and healthy at home during quarantine

Gyms and workout studios are closed, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun by staying healthy while trapped indoors. Hotels are sharing their best workout tips and tricks while celebrity fitness instructors are taking to social media to do the same. Here are a few of our favorites.

  • How to Exercise During the Coronavirus Outbreak — and Why You Should
  • Boost Your Mind and Body With These Equinox Hotel Yoga Rituals at Home
  • This At-home Yoga Set Will Help You Stay Active During Quarantine
  • These Online Yoga Classes Are Perfect for Doing at Home With Kids

How to take care of your mental health during quarantine

This list is full of things to keep you entertained and smiling while stuck at home, but the truth is we’re all dealing with the stress of living through a global pandemic. Now, more than ever, it’s important to take care of yourself, your mind, and your emotions. Below are some simple resources to help you.

  • You Can Take an Online Meditation Class With Sheep
  • There's Never Been a Better Time to Start Meditating — Here's Expert Advice to Get Started
  • Learn to Relax and Sleep Better With These 13 Meditation Apps

Personal hygiene in quarantine

Have you tried to cut your hair yet? Is your skin dry and in need of some help? We’ve got you covered. Here are some expert tips to look good right now — even if the only one to see it is your four-legged friends.

  • The Art of Shaving’s Master Barbers Are Giving Tips for Facial Grooming and At-home Haircuts

Zoom backgrounds to use at home

Chances are you’ve probably taken a few calls on Zoom lately. If so, why not spice up your Zoom presence with some of these free travel-inspired Zoom backgrounds?

  • Pretend You're Traveling Again With Airbnb's Free Zoom Backgrounds
  • United's New Zoom Backgrounds Will Let You Take Your Next Meeting at 30,000 Feet
  • Bring the Magic of Disney to Your Next Zoom Call With These Movie-inspired Backgrounds
  • These Travel-inspired Zoom Backgrounds Will Make It Look Like You're Working From Paradise

How to date during quarantine

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What's Hot

Does homework really make sense for kids during a pandemic.

Senior Lifestyle Reporter, HuffPost

places to go to do homework during covid

As a mom herself, Lisa Maira, a kindergarten and first grade teacher in Massachusetts, is not a big fan of homework.

When she does assign it, it’s almost always a less rigid form of homework, usually an assignment that gives kids an opportunity to practice something they enjoyed learning at school that day.

Ideally, the assignment gives students the opportunity to play “teacher” in front of their family, to give them a sense of ownership and command of the subject ― something that emphasizes family communication and bonding, rather than instruction.

The minimal homework she assigns is meant to make kids become independent learners.

“It’s also important that parents are informed that these activities are designed to build executive function skills and not to be a source of stress or busy work,” she said.

As the pandemic rolls on, Maira’s distaste for traditional homework has become even stronger.

“Parents have had so much to deal with during COVID and homework often feels like an additional burden, on them and on their kids,” Maira told HuffPost. “Kids will need time to decompress after school, now more than ever, and they need their parents to be there to support their emotional needs.”

Though the stress of the pandemic has brought this conversation to the forefront, rethinking homework isn’t a novel idea.

The case against homework has been growing in recent years.

In recent years, some schools have experimented with a no-homework policy, citing studies that show assigning homework in elementary and middle school does not translate into higher scores on standardized tests.

Alfie Kohn, a lecturer and the author of “The Homework Myth,” has been leading the “who needs homework?” charge.

“The sad irony is that there is absolutely no evidence that homework is useful at this age,” Kohn told HuffPost. “In fact, no study has found any academic benefit to giving students homework before they’re in high school ― and even at that point the evidence is dubious that it’s necessary to make kids work what amounts to a second shift after having spent six or seven hours in school.”

Homework, Kohn wages, “may be the greatest single extinguisher of natural curiosity ever created. ”

“We already know that homework can lead to frustration and exhaustion, family conflict, less time for children to pursue activities they care about, and, most disturbing, a loss of interest in learning,” he said.

It’s worth noting here: Studies have shown that assigning free reading for homework ― allowing students to read whatever books they want ― does improve their academic performance. But a little free reading is a world away from bulging backpacks full of coursework ― or additional online assignments after hours of Zoom schoolwork.

Because of COVID, even longtime proponents of homework are advocating for a more sensible, pandemic-considerate workload for kids.

“I think it would be common sense that teachers start out slow with homework to ease kids’ readjustment to school and fewer hours of life at home,” said Harris M. Cooper , a Duke University professor who’s researched and wrote on the topic for over 25 years and generally thinks the case against homework is overstated.

Cooper’s advice to teachers when it comes to homework? “Start slow, not too slow, and take advantages of any positive home developments or learning habits you think your students might have acquired during the pandemic,” he said.

For instance, maybe it’s assigning projects where students get to “teach” their families part of the lesson of the day, not necessarily more traditional paper-and-pencil exercises.

Homework, one expert said, "may be the greatest single extinguisher of natural curiosity ever created."

At this point of the pandemic, educators are well-versed in what works. When all schoolwork pivoted to homework as a result of remote learning, teachers and schools got experimental and a little more empathetic with their approach to homework.

Some opted not to assign homework at all, to give overwhelmed parents a much-needed break. Some treated homework as the equity issue it is; w hile one student might have a stay-at-home parent, a tutor or a pandemic learning pod to help them with tricky at-home assignments, another may have a parent that’s not present because they’re busy working two jobs.

For some students, unreliable internet service made remote learning a challenge.

Elisabeth Sturman, a teacher at Wy’east Middle School in Vancouver, Washington, hasn’t assigned homework in 15 years and she definitely didn’t see the need for it at the height of the pandemic.

“Research does not support its effectiveness at my students’ level, it can highlight resource equity issues, and I am not present to support students when they are working at home,” she told HuffPost. “Also, kids work so hard during the school day ― they need a break!”

Sturman tries to optimize the 80-minute blocks she has with groups of students, so that homework isn’t necessary at the end of the day.

“I present info or model for no more than 20 minutes of my time with them,” she explained. “The remainder of time is for students to work together or independently with the new material or skill and then we have a quick debrief back together at the end of class. It’s been pretty effective.”

This year, teachers and schools got experimental and a little more considerate with their approach to homework.

Will a return to in-person school signal a return to traditional homework?

It remains to be seen what will happen now that school districts are returning to in-person learning across the country. Will teachers reemphasize homework, in an attempt to make up for pandemic learning loss?

A recent New York Times report suggests that most children in this country are behind in reading and math — by about four to five months, on average — and within that, there are significant racial and economic disparities.

When we asked teachers on HuffPost Parents’ Facebook page how they’ll handle homework in the coming months, most said they’ll continue to go easy on students.

Heather Vernon, a science teacher at La Serna High School in Whittier, California, said she thinks the focus on lost learning puts too much additional stress on both schools and students.

“Does it really matter that certain skills are taught in certain grades?” she said. “What we must decide is what’s more important: the academics or supporting the whole student.”

Bridget Bosch, a former education coordinator in Homewood, Illinois, agreed, and questioned what might happen if parents and teachers focused on the nonacademic skills and strengths kids developed during the pandemic instead of what’s lacking.

“Kids grew in many ways, from seeking mental health help to acquiring new life or self-help skills in their homes,” she said. “Maybe they deepened relationships with family members or learned to reach out to friends in a new way. Maybe the academics were on hold while other things grew exponentially.”

“Giving homework to ‘catch up’ or [encourage] new learning isn’t productive, especially if there is no one at home who can help ensure it’s being done right. Practice makes permanent.” - Ruth Glazer Cohen, an elementary school teaching assistant in Holmdel, New Jersey

As the pandemic has continued, the need for social-emotional learning and trauma-informed care has gotten heightened attention in teacher training programs and in education papers like EdWeek. The stress of the pandemic and going back to class can negatively impact student’s GPA and their attention span, and to address that, teachers need to take into account the student’s mental and emotional health.

“Plowing ahead on core academics with a singular focus on making up for lost learning without addressing what students — and staff — are bringing with them to school ignores a basic reality: Children can’t process and retain new information if their brains are overwhelmed with anxiety,” wrote Arianna Prothero , a Texas-based reporter for Education Week covering students and their well-being.

Where does homework fit into that equation? On the same Facebook thread quoted above, Sandi Parkers, a former teacher in Mississippi, said that homework still has value, even in these stressful times.

“I know I will get a lot of flak on this, but as a parent and former teacher of many years, I think homework is a must,” she said. “You can watch teachers all day long, listen even and really pay attention. However, learning is like riding a bike ― you can’t do it without getting on yourself and riding.”

Ruth Glazer Cohen, an elementary school teaching assistant in Holmdel, New Jersey, stressed that a happy medium exists between the anti-homework and pro-homework camps.

Cohen leads pullout one-on-one and small group instruction for students who are having documented difficulty in literacy, math or both. Instead of traditional homework, she makes “practice pages” available to students who want to do more practice and learning.

“Giving homework to ‘catch up’ or [encourage] new learning isn’t productive, especially if there is no one at home who can help ensure it’s being done right,” she said. “Practice makes permanent. if they are doing it wrong, they are reinforcing an error ― and that’s not helpful.”

As more and more districts begin returning to the classroom, we’ll see just how much the pandemic and our year-plus of remote learning has swung the pendulum on homework.

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places to go to do homework during covid

What the Covid-19 Pandemic Revealed About Remote School

The unplanned experiment provided clear lessons on the value—and limitations—of online learning. Are educators listening?

Katherine Reynolds Lewis, Undark Magazine

Student takes part in remote distance learning

The transition to online learning in the United States during the Covid-19 pandemic was, by many accounts, a failure. While there were some  bright   spots  across the country, the transition was messy and uneven — countless teachers had neither the materials nor training they needed to effectively connect with students remotely, while many of those students   were bored , isolated, and lacked the resources they needed to learn. The results were abysmal: low test scores, fewer children learning at grade level, increased inequity, and teacher burnout. With the public health crisis on top of deaths and job losses in many families, students experienced   increases  in depression, anxiety, and suicide risk.

Yet society very well may face new widespread calamities in the near future, from another pandemic to extreme weather, that will require a similarly quick shift to remote school. Success will hinge on big changes, from infrastructure to teacher training, several experts told Undark. “We absolutely need to invest in ways for schools to run continuously, to pick up where they left off. But man, it’s a tall order,” said Heather L. Schwartz, a senior policy researcher at RAND. “It’s not good enough for teachers to simply refer students to disconnected, stand-alone videos on, say, YouTube. Students need lessons that connect directly to what they were learning before school closed.”

More than three years after U.S. schools shifted to remote instruction on an emergency basis, the education sector is still largely unprepared for another long-term interruption of in-person school. The stakes are highest for those who need it most: low-income children and students of color, who are also most likely to be harmed in a future pandemic or live in communities  most affected  by climate change. But, given the abundance of research on what didn’t work during the pandemic, school leaders may have the opportunity to do things differently next time. Being ready would require strategic planning, rethinking the role of the teacher, and using new technology wisely, experts told Undark. And many problems with remote learning actually trace back not to technology, but to basic instructional quality. Effective remote learning won’t happen if schools aren’t already employing best practices in the physical classroom, such as creating a culture of learning from mistakes, empowering teachers to meet individual student needs, establishing high expectations, and setting clear goals supported by frequent feedback. While it’s ambitious to envision that every school district will create seamless virtual learning platforms — and, for that matter, overcome challenges in education more broadly — the lessons of the pandemic are there to be followed or ignored.

“We haven’t done anywhere near the amount of planning or the development of the instructional infrastructure needed to allow for a smooth transition next time schools need to close for prolonged periods of time,” Schwartz said. “Until we can reach that goal, I don’t have high confidence that the next prolonged school closure will be substantially more successful.”

Before the pandemic,  only 3 percent  of U.S. school districts offered virtual school, mostly for students with unique circumstances, such as a disability or those intensely pursuing a sport or the performing arts, according to a RAND  survey  Schwartz co-authored. For the most part, the educational technology companies and developers creating software for these schools promised to give students a personalized experience. But the research on these programs, which focused on virtual charter schools that only existed online, showed  poor outcomes . Their students were a year behind in math and nearly a half-year behind in reading, and courses offered less direct time with a teacher each week than regular schools have in a day.

The pandemic sparked growth in stand-alone virtual academies, in addition to the emergency remote learning that districts had to adopt in March 2020. Educators’ interest in online instructional materials exploded, too, according to Schwartz, “and it really put the foot on the gas to ramp them up, expand them, and in theory, improve them.” By June 2021, the number of school districts with a stand-alone virtual school rose to 26 percent. Of the remaining districts, another 23 percent were interested in offering an online school, the report found.

But the sheer magnitude of options for online learning didn’t necessarily mean it worked well, Schwartz said: “It’s the quality part that has to come up in order for this to be a really good, viable alternative to in person instruction.” And individualized, self-directed online learning proved to be a pipe dream — especially for younger children who needed support from a parent or other family member even to get online, much less stay focused.

“The notion that students would have personalized playlists and could curate their own education was proven to be problematic on a couple levels, especially for younger and less affluent students,” said Thomas Toch, director of FutureEd, an education think tank at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. “The social and emotional toll that isolation and those traumas took on students suggest that the social dimension of schooling is hugely important and was greatly undervalued, especially by proponents for an increased role of technology.”

Students also often didn’t have the materials they needed for online school, some lacking computers or internet access at home. Teachers didn’t have the right training for  online instruction , which has a unique pedagogy and best practices. As a result, many virtual classrooms attempted to replicate the same lessons over video that would’ve been delivered at school. The results were overwhelmingly bad, research shows. ​​For example, a  2022 study  found six consistent themes about how the pandemic affected learning, including a lack of interaction between students and with teachers, and disproportionate harm to low-income students. Numb from isolation and too many hours in front of a screen, students  failed to engage  in coursework and  suffered emotionally .

student is assisted by her mom in online learning while her sister works nearby

After some districts resumed in-person or hybrid instruction in the 2020 fall semester, it became clear that the longer students were remote,  the worse their learning delays . For example, national standardized test scores for the 2020-2021 school year showed that passing rates for math declined about 14 percentage points on average, more than three times the drop seen in districts that returned to in-person instruction the earliest, according to a  2021 National Bureau of Economic Research study . Even after most U.S. districts resumed in-person instruction, students who had been online the longest  continued to lag  behind their peers. The pandemic  hit cities hardest  and the effects disproportionately harmed low-income children and students of color in urban areas.

“What we did during the pandemic is not the optimal use of online learning in education for the future,” said Ashley Jochim, a researcher at the Center on Reinventing Public Education at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. “Online learning is not a full stop substitute for what kids need to thrive and be supported at school.”

Children also largely prefer in-person school. A  2022 Pew Research Center survey  suggested that 65 percent of students would rather be in a classroom, 9 percent would opt for online only, and the rest are unsure or prefer a hybrid model. “For most families and kids, full-time online school is actually not the educational solution they want,” Jochim said.

Virtual school felt meaningless to Abner Magdaleno, a 12th grader in Los Angeles. “I couldn’t really connect with it, because I’m more of, like, a social person. And that was stripped away from me when we went online,” recalled Magdaleno. Mackenzie Sheehy, 19, of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, found there were too many distractions at home to learn. Her grades suffered, and she missed the one-on-one time with teachers. (Sheehy graduated from high school in 2022.)

Many teachers feel the same way. “Nothing replaces physical proximity, whatever the age,” said Ana Silva, a New York City English teacher. She enjoyed experimenting with interactive technology during online school, but is grateful to be back in person. “I like the casual way kids can come to my desk and see me. I like the dynamism — seeing kids in the cafeteria. Those interactions are really positive, and they were entirely missing during the online learning.”

During the 2022-2023 school year, many districts  initially planned  to continue online courses for snow days and other building closures. But they found that the teacher instruction, student experience, and demands on families were simply too different for in-person versus remote school, said Liz Kolb, an associate professor in the School of Education at the University of Michigan. “Schools are moving away from that because it’s too difficult to quickly transition and blend back and forth among the two without having strong structures in place,” Kolb said. “Most schools don’t have those strong structures.”

In addition, both families and educators grew sick of their screens. “They’re trying to avoid technology a little bit. There’s this fatigue coming out of remote learning and the pandemic,” said Mingyu Feng, a research director at WestEd, a nonprofit research agency. “If the students are on Zoom every day for like, six hours, that seems to be not quite right.”

Despite the bumpy pandemic rollout, online school can serve an important role in the U.S. education system. For one, online learning is a better alternative for some students. Garvey Mortley, 15, of Bethesda, Maryland, and her two sisters all switched to their district’s virtual academy during the pandemic to protect their own health and their grandmother’s. This year, Mortley’s sisters went back to in-person school, but she chose to stay online. “I love the flexibility about it,” she said, noting that some of her classmates prefer it because they have a disability or have demanding schedules. “I love how I can just roll out of bed in the morning, and I can sit down and do school.” Some educators also prefer teaching online, according to  reports  of virtual schools that were inundated with applications from teachers because they wanted to keep  working from home . Silva, the New York high school English teacher, enjoys online tutoring and academic coaching, because it facilitates one-on-one interaction.

And in rural districts and those with low enrollment, some access to online learning ensures students can take courses that could otherwise be inaccessible. “Because of the economies of scale in small rural districts, they needed to tap into online and shared service delivery arrangements in order to provide a full complement of coursework at the high school level,” said Jochim. Innovation in these districts, she added, will accelerate: “We’ll continue to see growth, scalability, and improvement in quality.”

There were also some schools that were largely successful at switching to online at the start of the pandemic, such as Vista Unified School District in California, which  pooled and shared innovative ideas  for adapting in March 2020; the school quickly put together an online portal so that principals and teachers could share ideas and the district could allot the necessary resources. Digging into examples like this could point the way to the future of online learning, said Chelsea Waite, a senior researcher at the Center on Reinventing Public Education, who was part of a collaborative project studying 70 schools and districts that pivoted successfully to online learning. The  project found  three factors that made the transition work: a focus on resilience, collaboration, and autonomy for both students and educators; a healthy culture that prioritized relationships; and strong yet flexible systems that were accustomed to adaptation.

Teacher in Boston participates in online learning during the covid-19 pandemic

“We investigated schools that did seem to be more prepared for the Covid disruption, not just with having devices in students’ hands or having an online curriculum already, but with a learning culture in the school that really prioritized agency and problem solving as skills for students and adults,” Waite said. “In these schools, kids are learning from a very young age to be a little bit more self-directed, to set goals, and pursue them and pivot when they need to.”

Similarly, many of the takeaways from the pandemic trace back to the basics of effective education, not technological innovation. A landmark report by the National Academies of Sciences called “How People Learn,” most recently updated in 2018, synthesized the body of educational research and identified four key features in the most successful learning environments. First, these schools are designed for, and adapt to, the specific students, building on what they bring to the classroom, such as skills and beliefs. Second, successful schools give their students clear goals, showing them what they need to learn and how they can get there. Third, they provide in-the-moment feedback that emphasizes understanding, not memorization. And finally, the most successful schools are community-centered, with a culture of collaboration and acceptance of mistakes.

“We as humans are social learners, yet some of the tech talk is driven by people who are strong individual learners,” said Jeremy Roschelle, executive director of Learning Sciences Research at Digital Promise, a global education nonprofit. “They’re not necessarily thinking about how most people learn, which is very social.”

Another powerful insight from pandemic-era remote schooling involves the evolving role of teachers, said Kim Kelly, a middle school math teacher at Northbridge Middle School in Massachusetts and a K-8 curriculum coach. Historically, a teacher’s role is the keeper of knowledge who delivers instruction. But in recent years, there has been a shift in approach, where teachers think of themselves as coaches who can intervene based on a student’s individual learning progress. Technology that assists with a coach-like role can be effective — but requires educators to be trained and comfortable interpreting data on student needs.

For example, with a digital learning platform called ASSISTments, teachers can assign math problems, students complete them — potentially receiving in-the-moment feedback on steps they’re getting wrong — and then the teachers can use data from individual students and the entire class to plan instruction and see where additional support is needed.

“A big advantage of these computer-driven products is they really try to diagnose where students are, and try to address their needs. It’s very personalized, individualized,” said WestEd’s Feng, who has  evaluated  ASSISTments and other educational technologies. She noted that some teachers feel frustrated “when you expect them to read the data and try to figure out what the students’ needs are.”

Teacher’s colleges don’t typically prepare educators to interpret data and change their practices, said Kelly, whose dissertation focused on self-regulated online learning. But professional development has helped her learn to harness technology to improve teaching and learning. “Schools are in data overload; we are oozing data from every direction, yet none of it is very actionable,” she said. Some technology, she added, provided student data that she could use regularly, which changed how she taught and assigned homework.

When students get feedback from the computer program during a homework session, the whole class doesn’t have to review the homework together, which can save time. Educators can move forward on instruction — or if they see areas of confusion, focus more on those topics. The ability of the programs to detect how well students are learning “is unreal,” said Kelly, “but it really does require teachers to be monitoring that data and interpreting.” She learned to accept that some students could drive their own learning and act on the feedback from homework, while others simply needed more teacher intervention. She now does more assessment at the beginning of a course to better support all students.

At the district or even national level, letting teachers play to their strengths can also help improve how their students learn, Toch, of FutureEd, said. For example, if a teacher is better at delivering instruction, they could give a lesson to a larger group of students online, while another teacher who is more comfortable in the coach role could work in smaller groups or one-on-one.

“One thing we saw during the pandemic are smart strategies for using technology to get outstanding teachers in front of more students,” Toch said, describing one effort that recruited exceptional teachers nationally and built a strong curriculum to be delivered online. “The local educators were providing support for their students in their classrooms.”

Remote schooling requires new technology, and already, educators are swamped with competing platforms and software choices — most of which have  insufficient evidence of efficacy . Traditional independent research on specific technologies is sparse, Roschelle said. Post-pandemic, the field is so diverse and there are so many technologies in use, it’s almost impossible to find a control group to design a randomized control trial, he added. However, there is qualitative research and evidence that give hints about the quality of technology and online learning, such as  case studies  and school recommendations.

Educational leaders should ask three key questions about technology before investing, recommended Ryan Baker, a professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania: Is there evidence it works to improve learning outcomes? Does the vendor provide support and training, or are teachers on their own? And does it work with the same types of students as are in their school or district? In other words, educators must look at a technology’s track record in the context of their own school’s demographics, geography, culture, and challenges. These decisions are complicated by the small universe of researchers and evaluators, who have many overlapping relationships. (Over his career, for example, Baker has worked with or consulted for many of the education technology firms that create the software he studies.)

It may help to broaden the definition of evidence. The Center on Reinventing Public Education launched the  Canopy project  to collect examples of effective educational innovation around the U.S.

“What we wanted to do is build much better and more open and collective knowledge about where schools are challenging old assumptions and redesigning what school is and should be,” she added, noting that these educational leaders are reconceptualizing the skills they want students to attain. “They’re often trying to measure or communicate concepts that we don’t have great measurement tools for yet. So they end up relying on a lot of testimonials and evidence of student work.”

The moment is ripe for innovation in online and in-person education, said Julia Fallon, executive director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association, since the pandemic accelerated the rollout of devices and needed infrastructure. There’s an  opportunity  and need for technology that empowers teachers to improve learning outcomes and work more efficiently, said Roschelle. Online and hybrid learning are clearly here to stay — and likely will be called upon again during future temporary school closures.

Still, poorly-executed remote learning risks tainting the whole model; parents and students may be unlikely to give it a second chance. The pandemic showed the hard and fast limits on the potential for fully remote learning to be adopted broadly, for one, because in many communities, schools serve more than an educational function — they support children’s mental health, social needs, and nutrition and other physical health needs. The pandemic also highlighted the real challenge in training the entire U.S. teaching corps to be proficient in technology and data analysis. And the lack of a nimble shift to remote learning in an emergency will disproportionately harm low-income children and students of color. So the stakes are high for getting it right, experts told Undark, and summoning the political will.

“There are these benefits in online education, but there are also these real weaknesses we know from prior research and experience,” Jochim said. “So how do we build a system that has online learning as a complement to this other set of supports and experiences that kids benefit from?”

Katherine Reynolds Lewis is an award-winning journalist covering children, race, gender, disability, mental health, social justice, and science.

This article was originally published on Undark . Read the original article .

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places to go to do homework during covid

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With COVID-19, all schoolwork is homework. But how can parents ensure it gets done?

places to go to do homework during covid

If you get Global News from Instagram or Facebook - that will be changing. Find out how you can still connect with us .

This article is more than 3 years old and some information may not be up to date.

Almost overnight, homework took on new meaning to students across Canada.

places to go to do homework during covid

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to shut their doors in mid-March, learning was shuffled from the classroom to the family living and dining rooms. It also thrust parents into a trove of new responsibilities.

While parents need to figure out what works best for their own unique situations, taking on the role of a teacher isn’t expected or necessarily beneficial, said Kristina Llewellyn, a social development studies professor at the University of Waterloo.

“We don’t want parents having to take on the burden, thinking they’re responsible for all those learning outcomes,” she told Global News.

“It does put parents in a different role, adding a level of stress and expectation that they may have not had before, but there are some distinct boundaries. It’s good for young people to have the guidance of expert educators, and students recognize that.”

So how does a parent ensure their child or teenager is doing their work without taking on the teacher role?

It will depend on the age of the student, according to Ann Douglas, a parenting expert and author of Happy Parents Happy Kids .

Parents will more likely have to take on an “operational” role while supporting young kids through remote learning by offering guidance and setting them up with the tools they need for each day, she said. That might mean checking in on schoolwork more often or, depending on the child, shepherding them through the day’s work.

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High-schoolers are different, she said.

“You need to recognize their growing autonomy,” she said. “Nothing makes a teenager more unhappy and more likely to not do their homework is having a parent treat them like they’re a little kid.”

Douglas noted that teenagers might face more anxieties than elementary students, with grades and post-secondary school hanging in limbo while the virus lingers.

She suggests “laying the groundwork for a good outcome” while keeping studies going from home.

“Look at the best-case scenarios with them — say school does go back into session in the fall, and they’re able to go off to Grade 12 or university. By having them identify their own goals, it puts them in the driver’s seat. They’re not being pushed by you, they’re motivating themselves.”

What’s universal for all age groups is the stressors brought on by the pandemic, she said.

Data shows Canadian kids and teens are feeling the strain.

A recent poll by Angus Reid found that while most students aged 10 to 17 are keeping up with their schoolwork (75 per cent), the majority feel unmotivated (60 per cent) and don’t like the at-home arrangements (57 per cent).

“We don’t want schoolwork to become a major source of parent-child conflict because, right now, parents and kids have never needed each other more,” Douglas said.

“Try to see the situation from your child’s point of view. Think about what it must be like to be a kid or a high schooler at this moment, all the disappointments, the stress, the anxiety. Then ask yourself, ‘How well would I be able to learn?'”

But there are only a few weeks left of this academic school year, and parents also need to keep that in mind, Douglas added.

That might play into any resistance parents are seeing in their kids about homework.

“A lot of kids are already starting to unplug and be less engaged. In normal times, the arrival of nice weather means kids stop focusing on school to the same degree. This year, given what we’ve been through, the break from the screens is almost irresistible,” she said.

“They might have just naturally hit the end of what they’re capable of at this moment.”

And if parents are worried about the same sort of behaviour in the fall?

“I don’t think it would be as hard as it is right now, when we’re still just two months into radically shifting our reality. We have a few more months to learn strategies for managing some of this stuff,” Douglas said.

“Don’t borrow all of September’s worries in May.”

There is no guarantee kids will be back in their seats come September, despite several provinces aiming for that goal.

Fears of a “second wave” of the coronavirus could put a wrench in plans to resume schools in the fall. Should that happen, and students be forced to keep up their studies at home, the same sort of rules apply, Douglas said.

But the three-month summer break leaves room for improvements to be made to how the at-home learning — or “remote emergency teaching” — is done, said Llewellyn. That includes making sure the tools and technology kids need is accessible to all families, she said.

“In the long term, we know we can’t replicate what happens in the classroom, that often compounds in inequalities,” Llewellyn said.

“We’ll have to be equity-focused and equity-driven… We’ll need more support for educators and more support for mental health for families.”

Should schools stay closed come September, remote or distance learning needs to be “reimagined” to be effective in the long run, said Charles Pascal, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and former deputy education minister in Ontario.

“The stressful thing that’s taken place over the last month or so is because all of this was laid out with no consultation to begin with. It was dropped on the teachers. The educators, at the grassroots level, have done their best in spite of little guidance from governments,” he said.

“Implementation of distancing learning to this capacity requires involvement and participation from teachers on how to best to do things differently.”

Until then, teachers are always available to address parents’ concerns — even more so now, Llewellyn said.

“Some teachers are sending out Google surveys and polls, they’re reaching out by email. The message is constantly: ‘Please let us know how this is working for you. We want to make sure that the well-being of your family is a priority.'”

— with files from the Canadian Press

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Treating COVID-19 at home: Care tips for you and others

Providing care at home for a person sick with COVID-19? Or caring for yourself at home? Understand when emergency care is needed and what you can do to prevent the spread of infection.

If you have coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and you're caring for yourself at home or you're caring for a loved one with COVID-19 at home, you might have questions. How do you know when emergency care is needed? How long do you need to isolate? What can you do to prevent the spread of germs? How can you support a sick loved one and manage your stress? Here's what you need to know.

At-home treatment

Most people who become sick with COVID-19 will only have mild illness and can get better at home. Symptoms might last a few days. People who have the virus might feel better in about a week. Treatment is aimed at relieving symptoms and includes:

  • Pain relievers

But adults over age 65 and people of any age with existing long-lasting (chronic) medical conditions should call their health care provider as soon as symptoms start. These factors put people at greater risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19 . People with these conditions who get COVID-19 may also be eligible for certain treatments. These treatments need to start within a few days after symptoms start.

Follow the health care provider's suggestions about care and staying at home (isolating). Talk to the provider if you have any questions about treatments. Help the sick person get food and any medication needed. And, if needed, take care of the person's pet.

Also think about how caring for a sick person might affect your health. If you are age 65 or older or have an existing long-lasting (chronic) medical condition, such as heart or lung disease or diabetes, you may be at higher risk of serious illness with COVID-19 . You might think about staying away from the sick person and finding another person to provide care. Also, you might choose to wear a face mask that gives higher protection.

Emergency warning signs

Carefully watch yourself or your loved one for signs and symptoms that are getting worse.

The health care provider might suggest use of a home pulse oximeter, especially if the sick person has risk factors for severe illness with COVID-19 and COVID-19 symptoms. A pulse oximeter is a plastic clip that attaches to a finger. The device can help check breathing by measuring how much oxygen is in the blood. A reading of less than 92% might increase the need for staying in the hospital. If the provider recommends a pulse oximeter, make sure you understand how to use the device properly. And make sure you know when a reading should prompt a call to the provider.

If symptoms seem to be getting worse, call the provider.

If you or the person with COVID-19 has emergency warning signs, get medical attention right away. Call 911 or your local emergency number if you notice any emergency signs, including:

  • Trouble breathing
  • Persistent chest pain or pressure
  • New confusion
  • Trouble staying awake
  • Pale, gray or blue-colored skin, lips or nail beds — depending on skin tone

This list doesn't include all symptoms. Call the provider if you or the person with COVID-19 has other severe symptoms.

Protecting others if you're ill

If you have COVID-19 symptoms, get tested as soon as you can after your symptoms start. Stay home until you receive results.

If you're ill with COVID-19 , you can help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

  • Stay home from work, school and public areas unless it's to get medical care.
  • Avoid using public transportation, ride-sharing services or taxis.
  • Stay isolated in one room, away from your family, others and pets, as much as you can. Eat in your room. Open windows to keep air moving. Fans can help direct air out of windows.
  • If you can't open windows, consider using air filters. And turn on exhaust fans in your bathroom and kitchen. You might also consider a portable air cleaner. Use a separate bathroom if you can.
  • Avoid shared space in your home as much as you can. When using shared spaces, limit your movements. Make sure your kitchen and other shared spaces have good airflow.
  • Clean often-touched surfaces in your separate room and bathroom, such as doorknobs, light switches, electronics and counters, every day.
  • Avoid sharing personal household items, such as dishes, towels, bedding and electronics such as phones.
  • Wear the most protective face mask that you'll wear regularly, fits well and is comfortable when near others or pets. Change the face mask each day.
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or elbow when coughing or sneezing. Then throw away the tissue.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water aren't nearby, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that has at least 60% alcohol.

Protecting yourself while caring for someone with COVID-19

To protect yourself while caring for someone with COVID-19 , the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend:

  • Keep your hands clean and away from your face. Wash your hands with soap and water often for at least 20 seconds. This is especially important to do after being in close contact or in the same room as the sick person. If soap and water aren't nearby, use a hand sanitizer that has at least 60% alcohol. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
  • Wear a face mask. If you need to be in the same room with the person who is ill, wear the most protective face mask that you'll wear regularly, fits well and is comfortable. Don't have any direct physical contact with the person. Don't touch or handle your mask while you are using it. If your mask gets wet or dirty, swap it with a clean, dry mask. Throw away the used mask and wash your hands.
  • Clean your home often. Use household cleaning sprays or wipes to clean surfaces that are often touched, such as counters, tabletops and doorknobs. Avoid cleaning the sick person's separate room and bathroom. Set aside bedding and utensils for the sick person only to use.
  • Avoid direct contact with the sick person's fluids. Wear gloves and a face mask when providing care and when handling stool, urine or other waste. Before you put on your gloves and mask, wash your hands. Also wash your hands after removing your gloves and mask. Don't reuse your mask or gloves.
  • Avoid having visitors in your home. Don't allow visitors until the sick person has completely gotten better and doesn't have any COVID-19 signs or symptoms.

Ending isolation or quarantine

If you have covid-19.

Isolation is used to separate people with the COVID-19 virus from those who aren't sick. Talk to the health care provider about when to end home isolation if you have a weakened immune system. If you think or know you had COVID-19 and had symptoms, the CDC recommends that it's OK to be around others after:

  • At least five days have passed since your symptoms started. Wear a high-quality mask when you're around others for five more days. If you have COVID-19 home tests, you can take tests two days apart, starting on day six. If your results are negative on both tests, you can stop masking. If you don't do the home test, wear a mask around others for 10 days.
  • At least 24 hours have passed with no fever without the use of fever-reducing medication on day six.
  • Other symptoms are improving — loss of taste and smell might last for weeks or months after recovery but shouldn't delay ending isolation.

These recommendations may vary if you have had severe COVID-19 or have a weakened immune system. The CDC recommends waiting until at least day 11 to get together with people who are at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 . And if your symptoms get worse, go back to isolating and talk to your health care provider.

Most people don't need testing to decide when they can be around others.

If you're a healthcare worker with COVID-19 , the time you can return to work may vary.

If you've been exposed to someone with COVID-19

If you're caring for someone with COVID-19 , the CDC recommends that you get tested at least five days after being exposed, or sooner if you have symptoms. The CDC also recommends that you wear a high-quality mask for 10 days while indoors in public areas. Try to stay away from people in your household. If you have symptoms, stay home and in a separate room from others. If you don't have symptoms, you don't need to stay home and away from others (quarantine).

Coping with caregiving stress

As you or your loved one gets better, seek support. Stay connected to others through texts or phone or video calls. Share your worries. Avoid too much COVID-19 news. Rest and focus on fun activities, such as reading, watching movies or playing online games.

As you take care of a loved one who is ill with COVID-19 , you might feel stressed too. You might worry about your health and the health of the sick person. This can affect your ability to eat, sleep and focus. And it can worsen long-lasting (chronic) health problems. It may also increase your use of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs.

If you have a mental health condition, such as anxiety or depression, continue with your treatment. Contact your care provider or mental health provider if your condition worsens.

To care for yourself, follow these steps:

  • Keep a daily routine, such as taking a shower and getting dressed.
  • Take breaks from COVID-19 news and social media.
  • Eat healthy meals and drink plenty of fluids.
  • Stay physically active.
  • Get plenty of sleep.
  • Avoid use of drugs, tobacco and alcohol.
  • Stretch, breathe deeply or meditate.
  • Focus on fun activities.
  • Connect with others and share how you are feeling.

Caring for yourself can help you cope with stress. It will also help you be able to support your loved one's recovery.

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  • What to do if you are sick. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https:// www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html. Accessed March 28, 2022.
  • Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Caring for someone sick at home. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/care-for-someone.html. Accessed March 28, 2022.
  • Advice for the public: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). World Health Organization. https:// www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public. Accessed March 28, 2022.
  • Coping with stress. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/stress-coping/cope-with-stress/index.html. Accessed Feb. 28, 2022.
  • What to do if you were exposed to COVID-19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/if-you-were-exposed.html. Accessed Aug. 18, 2022.
  • Mental health and psychosocial considerations during COVID-19 outbreak. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/mental-health-considerations.pdf?sfvrsn=6d3578af_8. Accessed April 2, 2020.
  • Ending isolation and precautions for people with COVID-19: Interim guidance. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/duration-isolation.html. Accessed Feb. 28, 2022.
  • Stay up to date with your vaccines. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https:// www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html. Accessed March 28, 2022.
  • Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Isolation and precautions for people with COVID-19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/isolation.html. Accessed Aug. 18, 2022.
  • Living guidance for clinical management of COVID-19. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/teams/health-care-readiness/covid-19. Accessed March 28, 2022.
  • Test for current infection. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/testing/diagnostic-testing.html. Accessed March 28, 2022.
  • Interim guidance for managing healthcare personnel with SARS-CoV-2 infection or exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-risk-assesment-hcp.html. Accessed Dec. 28, 2021.
  • Strategies to mitigate healthcare personnel staffing shortages. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/mitigating-staff-shortages.html. Accessed Dec. 28, 2021.
  • Improving ventilation in your home. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/Improving-Ventilation-Home.html. Accessed Aug. 16, 2022.
  • Massetti GM, et al. Summary of guidance for minimizing the impact of COVID-19 on individual persons, communities, and health care systems — United States, August 2022. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2022: doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7133e1.
  • How to protect yourself and others. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html. Accessed Aug. 18, 2022.

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I’m a U.S. Citizen. Where in the World Can I Go?

For Americans eager to resume international travel, here are the countries that currently allow U.S. citizens to enter, though there may be restrictions, including vaccine requirements.

places to go to do homework during covid

By Paige McClanahan

This list is no longer being updated. Find the latest coronavirus updates here .

Most of the world’s countries are open to travelers from the United States, and many nations are easing their requirements for visitors to test or quarantine. Some countries that had fully closed to foreign tourists — including Israel, Morocco, Bhutan, Australia and New Zealand — have now reopened to U.S. visitors, although they may continue to impose testing, vaccination or quarantine requirements.

In Europe, a growing number of nations — including Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, among many others — have eliminated their Covid-related travel restrictions for the summer travel season. Meanwhile, several Southeast Asian nations that had closed their borders to tourists have now reopened. Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Cambodia are once again welcoming American visitors, although vaccine or testing requirements are in force in most cases.

For its part, the United States has lifted the requirement that inbound passengers, including returning Americans, provide a negative test result taken within one day of departure. The decision to lift the test requirement will be re-evaluated in September; the rule could be reinstated if authorities deem it necessary.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meanwhile, continues advising Americans not to travel internationally until they are fully inoculated against Covid-19.

Those wanting to learn about the coronavirus risk in a specific country can visit the C.D.C. website where a four-tier ranking system provides guidance. The agency reserves the highest “Level 4” ranking for countries with “special circumstances” that include spiking case numbers, the emergence of worrying variants, or threats to the viability of health care infrastructure. (Levels 1 to 3 are still based primarily on Covid-19 case counts.) At the moment, no countries are classified at Level 4; those at Level 3, which have a “high” incidence of Covid-19, are indicated in the list below. For information on entry requirements like testing and quarantine, as well as curfews and movement restrictions, the State Department’s website offers detailed information by country.

What follows is a list of countries that are open to tourists from the United States. Many require visitors to complete a health form, provide proof of vaccination, and present a recent negative Covid-19 test result. To qualify as fully vaccinated in places such as France, Spain and the Netherlands, a visitor must have received either a booster shot or a second dose within a specified period.

As of May 1, visitors are no longer required to provide a negative test result or proof of vaccination. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Travel to Andorra is over land from Spain or France, so check the entry requirements for those countries first. There are no limits on movement between Spain and Andorra, nor for travelers entering Andorra from France. Travelers 12 and over departing Andorra for France must provide proof of full vaccination, a certificate of recent recovery, or a negative antigen test result from the previous 24 hours. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Visitors must complete a registration form before travel. They must also present a negative result from an R.T.-P.C.R. test administered no more than 72 hours before departure and pay about $20 on arrival to undergo a rapid antigen test at the airport. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Angola.

All adult visitors must be vaccinated. Arriving passengers must also carry a negative result from a Covid-19 test. The result may be either from a rapid test taken within two days of arrival, or from an R.T.-P.C.R. test, N.A.A.T. test, or other molecular test administered within three days of arrival. Visitors who completed their primary course of vaccination more than six months previously and who have not received a booster are also required to test on arrival, at their own expense. Guests staying for more than eight days may undergo a free test on day 4 of their visit. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

ANTIGUA and BARBUDA

Vaccinated travelers are no longer required to test before travel, provided they are asymptomatic. Unvaccinated visitors must present either a negative result from a P.C.R. test conducted no more than three days before arrival, or a negative result from an antigen test from the previous 24 hours; they must also be without symptoms. On arrival, they must submit to an R.T.-P.C.R. test at their own expense and self-quarantine for 14 days. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Americans may now enter Argentina without testing. Visitors must complete an electronic sworn statement within 48 hours of traveling and provide proof of medical insurance that covers Covid-19 treatment and quarantine. The government recommends that all visitors age 6 and over undergo a Covid-19 test within 24 hours of arrival, regardless of their vaccination status. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

The country has lifted its pandemic-related travel restrictions.

The country is open to visitors from the United States who have finished a primary course of vaccination (two doses of an mRNA vaccine or one dose of Johnson & Johnson). All passengers arriving by air must submit the Digital Passenger Declaration within 72 hours of their departure for Australia; they are no longer required to test before travel. Depending on their final destination within Australia, visitors may have to quarantine on arrival, even if they are vaccinated. Travelers should check the rules of the state or territory they are visiting to find the relevant quarantine requirements. Prospective visitors who are not fully vaccinated must qualify for an exemption . The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

The country lifted all pandemic-related travel restrictions on May 16. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Visitors age 18 and over must present proof of vaccination or a certificate of recovery from Covid-19 infection.

THE BAHAMAS

All travelers age 18 and older must apply for a Bahamas Travel Health Visa; the cost of the visa includes insurance coverage and varies with the length of stay and vaccination status of the traveler. Health visa applications can take up to 24 hours to process; travelers must present their visa confirmation before departure to the Bahamas. Travelers with valid proof of vaccination may now enter without a negative test result. Unvaccinated travelers age 2 and over must present a negative result from a rapid antigen or R.T.-P.C.R. test taken within 72 hours of travel. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

According to the U.S. Embassy, visitors must download the “ BeAware Bahrain ” app before travel. Arriving passengers are no longer required to test or show proof of vaccination. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Visitors must complete a health declaration form within three days of arrival. Vaccinated travelers may enter without a pretest. (A booster is not required to qualify.) Unvaccinated travelers age 12 and older must provide a negative result from an R.T.-P.C.R. test taken within 72 hours of departure. Symptomatic passengers may be subject to testing on arrival.

Vaccinated travelers may now enter without testing. Before departure, visitors should download the BIMSafe app and complete an online immigration and customs form . Vaccinated visitors may enter without quarantine, although they may be randomly selected for testing on arrival. Unvaccinated travelers age 5 and above must obtain a negative result from an R.T.-P.C.R. test taken within three days of arrival, or from a rapid test taken within one day of entry; they must also undergo a rapid test on arrival. Children under 18 who aren’t vaccinated must follow the guidelines of their accompanying adult. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

U.S. visitors may now enter without testing or proof of vaccination. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Travelers with proof of vaccination may enter without a negative test result. Unvaccinated visitors age 5 and over must show a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken within 72 hours of arrival, or from a rapid test taken within 48 hours of arrival. Alternatively, testing is available on arrival at the airport for $50; only cash payments are accepted. All foreign tourists must show proof of having purchased Belize travel insurance ($18 for 21 days). The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

All visitors to Benin must apply online for an eVisa before departure. Predeparture testing is no longer required.

Arriving passengers must show proof of vaccination (booster shots are not required) as well as a negative result from a rapid antigen test taken no more than two days before arrival, or a negative result from a P.C.R., N.A.A.T, T.M.A., or L.A.M.P. test taken within four days of arrival. Children under 2 are exempt from the pretest requirement, while children under 12 are exempt from the vaccination requirement. Visitors must pay $40 to apply for a travel authorization , which they can do up to one month before departure. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Vaccinated travelers must quarantine for five days after arrival; unvaccinated travelers must quarantine for ten days. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Bhutan.

Arriving passengers must present either proof of vaccination or a valid negative result from a Covid-19 test. The test result may be from an R.T.-P.C.R. test taken no more than 72 hours before boarding, or from a rapid antigen test taken no more than 48 hours before boarding. Children under 5 are exempt from the requirements.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

The country lifted its pandemic-related travel restrictions on May 26; travelers may now enter without a negative test result or proof of vaccination.

Visitors must have completed at least a primary course of vaccination; they are not required to test. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

U.S. tourists age 12 and older must present proof of vaccination, even if they have recovered from Covid-19; they no longer need to test before travel. Unvaccinated children under 12 who are traveling with vaccinated adults may also enter without testing. Unvaccinated adults must qualify for an exemption to be allowed entry. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

Regardless of their vaccination status, all visitors over age 5 must present a negative result from a Covid-19 test (either rapid antigen or R.T.-P.C.R.) taken within 48 hours of arrival. Travelers who have recovered from Covid-19 in the previous 90 days may present proof of recovery in lieu of a negative test result. Anyone arriving without a valid test result or proof of recovery must pay $50 to undergo testing on arrival. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

As of May 1, Bulgaria has removed all pandemic-related travel restrictions. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

BURKINA FASO

Arriving passengers must present proof of full vaccination or a negative result from a P.C.R. or rapid test taken in the previous five days. Travelers who arrive without proof of vaccination or a valid negative test result will be required to pay roughly $45 to undergo a rapid antigen test on arrival. To exit the country by air, travelers must present either proof of vaccination or a negative P.C.R. test dated within three days of their departing flight. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Burkina Faso.

Arriving passengers must present a negative result from a P.C.R. test administered no more than 72 hours before boarding their flight to Burundi. According to the U.S. Embassy, travelers must also pay $100 for an on-arrival test and self-isolate at an accommodation of their choice until they receive a negative result, usually within 24 hours. A negative P.C.R. result is also required to exit the country. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Burundi.

Arriving passengers must present either proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test result. The result may be from a P.C.R. test taken no more than 72 hours before departure, or from a rapid antigen test taken no more than 48 hours before departure. Visitors must also register , pay an airport fee, and complete a health questionnaire before travel. Arriving passengers are subject to a temperature check. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Visitors may now enter without testing. Fully vaccinated travelers are not required to quarantine. Those who are unvaccinated must quarantine for seven days at a designated facility at their own expense; they must also undergo a rapid test on the final day before being released. The government encourages all travelers to purchase Covid-19 travel health insurance. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Cambodia.

Visitors from the United States who hold a valid tourist visa may enter Cameroon. Passengers age 5 and above must present a negative result from a P.C.R. test administered no more than 72 hours before arrival; the result must include a QR code.

Vaccinated U.S. citizens and residents may enter Canada for nonessential reasons, including tourism, without providing a negative test result. (A booster is not required to qualify.) All travelers must use the ArriveCAN system to enter their proof of vaccination and other traveler information within 72 hours of entry into Canada. Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children under 12 are no longer required to test before travel if they are accompanied by a vaccinated adult. Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated minors ages 12 to 17 are subject to testing requirements and a 14-day quarantine. Unvaccinated adults must qualify for an exemption; if approved for entry, they are also subject to testing and quarantine requirements. The current rules are expected to remain in force until at least September 30 . The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

CAYMAN ISLANDS

As of June 30, vaccinated travelers may enter without testing. Unvaccinated visitors age 12 and over will not be allowed entry unless they can prove that they have a close tie to the country. Visitors are encouraged to test themselves daily during their first week in the country. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

A negative P.C.R. test from the previous 72 hours is required for both entry and departure. According to the U.S. Embassy, tourists from the United States must quarantine for 14 days after arrival; employees of international and humanitarian organizations may end their quarantine early if they receive a negative result from a post-arrival P.C.R. test at the local Pasteur Institute. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Travelers with proof of vaccination may enter without a pretest. Unvaccinated travelers 12 and older must present a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken within 96 hours of arrival.

Arriving passengers must complete a traveler’s affidavit within 48 hours of boarding and provide proof of travel medical insurance that covers a minimum of $30,000 worth of Covid-19 medical expenses in Chile; they may now enter without testing. Visitors are no longer required to obtain a mobility pass (which requires proof of vaccination) to enter the country, but they may be required to present the pass to enter restaurants, participate in group tours, and attend concerts and sports events. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Arriving passengers age 18 and older must present either proof of vaccination or a valid negative result from a Covid-19 test. The result may be from a P.C.R. test taken within 72 hours of travel or from an antigen test taken in the 48 hours before travel. Incoming passengers must also complete an online form within 72 hours of boarding their flight.

Visitors may enter with a negative result from a P.C.R. test conducted in the 72 hours before travel. A negative P.C.R. result that is no more than 72 hours old is also required to leave the country. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Comoros.

The country has lifted its pandemic-related entry requirements. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

COTE D’IVOIRE

Fully vaccinated travelers may now enter without a negative test result. (A booster is required to qualify if the primary course of vaccination was completed more than nine months previously.) Unvaccinated travelers must carry a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken within 72 hours of arrival in Abidjan. All passengers will have their temperatures checked and must undergo rapid antigen testing on arrival. Departing passengers who are unvaccinated must present a negative P.C.R. test from no more than 72 hours before travel, regardless of the testing requirements of their destination. Land and maritime borders remain closed to U.S. citizens.

Croatia has removed its Covid-related border rules; U.S. visitors may now enter as before the pandemic. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

General tourism is not permitted, but Americans are allowed to visit to see family and under certain professional and humanitarian circumstances. All incoming passengers must complete an online sworn statement before they depart for Cuba. Visitors are no longer required to present proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test result. Health authorities will randomly select passengers for Covid-19 screening on arrival.

As of June 1, visitors are no longer required to present proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test result. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

CZECH REPUBLIC

The country has removed all pandemic-related travel restrictions. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Before traveling, visitors should register at INRBCOVID.com . All travelers age 11 and older must present a negative result from a Covid-19 test taken within three days of departure. Unvaccinated travelers must undergo another test on arrival at their own expense and self-quarantine until they receive a negative result, generally within 24 hours. Visitors should also have proof of health and medical evacuation insurance and a certificate of yellow fever vaccination. To exit the country, travelers age 11 and over must present a negative result from a Covid-19 test taken at a government-approved lab within three days of departure. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to the D.R.C.

Denmark has lifted all pandemic-related travel restrictions. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Potential visitors must apply online for an eVisa before travel. All arriving passengers 11 and older must provide proof of vaccination as well as a negative result from a Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours of boarding their flight, and not more than 120 hours before their arrival in the country. Upon landing, travelers are given another test at a cost of $30. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Djibouti.

As of April 4, arriving passengers are no longer required to complete a health questionnaire before entry. Vaccinated travelers may enter without a pretest, though they may be tested on arrival if they display symptoms. Unvaccinated travelers must present a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken within 72 hours of arrival or from an antigen test taken within 48 hours of arrival. Children aged 12 and under assume the status of their accompanying parent or guardian. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Visitors may now enter without testing or providing proof of vaccination. Passengers age 7 and over may be selected for random testing on arrival; those who can present a valid vaccination certificate will be exempt from the random test. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

DUTCH CARIBBEAN

Aruba allows visitors to enter without a negative test result or proof of vaccination. Arriving passengers are required to purchase Aruba Visitors Insurance and to complete an Embarkation/Disembarkation card before arrival. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Bonaire has lifted its pandemic-related travel restrictions. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Curaçao has lifted its pandemic-related travel restrictions. However, visitors must complete a digital immigration card before travel. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Saba has removed its pandemic-related travel restrictions.

Sint Eustatius has removed its pandemic-related travel restrictions.

Sint Maarten , which is Dutch, and French St. Martin are primarily entered through Princess Juliana Airport on the Dutch side. Visitors must register online at least 12 hours before travel. Vaccinated travelers, those who have proof of recovery from Covid-19 in the previous nine months, and children under 5 are not required to test before entry. Unvaccinated travelers 5 and over must present a negative P.C.R. result from the previous 48 hours or a negative antigen result from the previous 24 hours. Before travel, all visitors must submit a health authorization form , the completion of which includes the purchase of mandatory Covid-19 insurance. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

The country no longer requires a negative test result for entry; however, the U.S. Embassy notes that airlines may impose their own requirements. Passengers who display symptoms on arrival may be subject to testing. The Embassy advises potential visitors to confirm the latest entry rules with the Timorese Embassy in Washington before travel.

All arriving passengers age 3 and over must provide either proof of vaccination or a negative result from an R.T.-P.C.R. test taken no more than 72 hours before boarding their flight to Ecuador. They must also complete a declaration of traveler health . Visitors may be subject to random antigen testing on arrival. Those traveling to the Galápagos must provide proof of vaccination or a negative R.T.-P.C.R. test result from the previous 72 hours; they must also obtain a transit control card from the government of Ecuador. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

EL SALVADOR

Visitors may now enter without testing or proof of vaccination.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

All arriving passengers must present a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken within 48 hours of travel; travelers age 18 and over must also present proof of vaccination. Visitors must quarantine for three days after arrival at an accommodation of their choosing and obtain a negative test result before being released. A negative P.C.R. test result is also required to exit the country.

Visitors must present a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken within 72 hours of entry and submit to an antigen test on arrival. Unvaccinated travelers must quarantine for five days, then obtain a negative test result before exiting quarantine. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Eritrea.

Arriving passengers must complete an online form in the 72 hours before entering the country. Visitors from the United States who are vaccinated or who have recovered from Covid-19 in the previous 180 days may enter without testing. (Travelers who have received two doses of vaccine are considered fully vaccinated for nine months after completing their primary course of vaccination; a booster dose extends the period of validity for one year.) Unvaccinated and unrecovered visitors may enter with a negative result from an R.T.-P.C.R. or antigen test taken in the 48 hours before arrival. Children under 12 are exempt from the requirements. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Vaccinated visitors and those who have a certificate of Covid-19 recovery from the previous 90 days are no longer required to test before travel. (A booster is not required to qualify.) Unvaccinated visitors over age 12 must carry a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken within 72 hours of departure, or a negative result from an antigen test taken within 24 hours of arrival.

All visitors must provide proof of vaccination, proof of travel insurance, and confirmation that they have pre-booked a rapid test to be taken after arrival. (Children under 12 are exempt from the in-country test requirement; children under 16 are exempt from the vaccination requirement.)

The country lifted its pandemic-related travel restrictions on June 30. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Fully vaccinated visitors no longer need to test before arrival. (To qualify as fully vaccinated, arriving passengers must have received their second dose of vaccine within the past nine months; those who have also received a booster dose are not subject to a time limit.) Unvaccinated travelers from the U.S. must present a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken within 72 hours of departure or a negative result from an antigen test from the previous 48 hours. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

FRENCH POLYNESIA

The country is open to fully vaccinated tourists from the United States. Those who have received only two doses of vaccine qualify as “fully vaccinated” for nine months following the date of their second dose; those who have also received a booster face no time limit. Arriving passengers aged 12 or older who are flying to French Polynesia directly from the United States are required to present a negative result from an R.T.-P.C.R. taken within 72 hours of boarding or a negative result from an antigen test administered within 48 hours of boarding. Those who are unvaccinated must provide a compelling reason for their visit to French Polynesia. If permitted entry, unvaccinated travelers must test before travel and quarantine for seven days after arrival. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to French Polynesia.

FRENCH WEST INDIES

(Most islands consider two weeks after the second injection as full vaccination, and four weeks for Johnson & Johnson.)

St. Barts is open to fully vaccinated travelers without a test requirement. Unvaccinated visitors must present a negative result either from a P.C.R. test conducted no more than 72 hours before departure, or from an antigen test from the previous 48 hours. All visitors must present a sworn statement that they have no symptoms and that they are not aware of Covid-19 exposure in the previous 14 days. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

St. Martin : See Sint Maarten under Dutch Caribbean.

Guadeloupe and Martinique are open to vaccinated travelers, but those 12 and older who are coming from the United States need a negative result from a P.C.R. or antigen test taken in the 24 hours before departure. They may also be subject to testing on arrival. Unvaccinated visitors must show proof of a compelling reason to travel. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

The country has lifted its pandemic-related restrictions. Visitors may now enter without a negative test result.

Fully vaccinated travelers do not need a pretest, but they may be subject to rapid testing on arrival if they display symptoms. Unvaccinated travelers must present a negative result from a P.C.R. test administered no more than 72 hours before departure.

The country has lifted its pandemic-related travel restrictions. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

The country has suspended its pandemic-related travel restrictions until the end of August. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Non-citizen and non-resident visitors who are 18 or older must show proof of vaccination in order to qualify for an entry visa (a booster is not required). Arriving passengers no longer need to provide a negative test result. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Ghana.

As of May 1, visitors may enter without providing proof of vaccination or recovery or a negative Covid-19 test result. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

The country has removed its pandemic-related travel requirements. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Greenland.

Travelers must present either proof of vaccination (a booster is not required) or a negative result from a P.C.R. or antigen test conducted no more than three days before check-in at the airport or arrival at a land border. Children under 10 are exempt.

The government of Guinea no longer requires pre-departure testing, but the U.S. Embassy recommends that travelers confirm the latest rules with their airline before departure. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; if you are unvaccinated, the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Guinea.

GUINEA-BISSAU

Visitors may enter with a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken in the previous 48 hours. Travelers must also obtain a negative P.C.R. result within 72 hours of their departure from the country; tests can be obtained in the capital city of Bissau for about $45.

Arriving passengers must show proof of full vaccination and carry a negative result from a Covid-19 test administered within 72 hours of arrival. Anyone arriving with an expired test result must pay about $85 to undergo testing at the airport and quarantine until they receive a negative result. Unvaccinated travelers over the age of 12 will not be allowed entry. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Visitors to Haiti must present a negative result from either a P.C.R. or antigen test administered no more than 72 hours before travel. Passengers who have had Covid-19 may present their positive test as well as documentation from their doctor confirming recovery.

Fully vaccinated tourists are not required to pretest, but others must have a negative result from a Covid-19 test taken in the previous 72 hours. Visitors must also complete an online pre-check form before travel.

Hungary has lifted all pandemic-related travel restrictions. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

The country lifted all Covid-related border restrictions on Feb. 25. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Passengers arriving from the United States must submit either proof of vaccination (with or without a booster) or a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken within 72 hours of departure. Travelers should upload the relevant documentation to the Air Suvidha portal before departure. Two percent of arriving passengers are randomly selected to undergo testing on arrival. Children under 5 are exempt from testing unless they develop Covid-19 symptoms. All travelers are asked to monitor their health for 14 days after arrival and self-isolate if they develop Covid-19 symptoms.

U.S. travelers are eligible for a visa on arrival if they can show proof of vaccination (with or without a booster; children under 12 are exempt). They must also download the PeduliLindungi app before departure; submit to a temperature screening on arrival; provide proof of health insurance that covers at least $25,000 worth of medical treatment in Indonesia; pay a visa fee of approximately $35; carry a passport with a validity of at least six months; and be able to present either a return ticket or a ticket for onward travel to another country. Covid-19 testing is no longer required. The U.S. Embassy recommends that travelers consult the Indonesian Embassy in the United States for the latest entry rules.

Visitors must apply for a tourist visa , which can be done online. Arriving passengers must present proof of vaccination as well as a negative result from a P.C.R. test conducted within 72 hours of arrival.

Arriving passengers must present either proof of vaccination or a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken in the previous 72 hours. The U.S. Embassy advises that all arriving passengers should be prepared to pay in cash for on-arrival testing at the airport, although this requirement is unevenly enforced. Visitors to the Iraqi Kurdistan Region require a negative P.C.R. result from the previous 48 hours; anyone without a negative test result must test on arrival. Visitors must also pledge to self-isolate for 14 days.

Ireland has removed all pandemic-related travel restrictions. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Visitors must provide a completed incoming passenger form and show proof of insurance covering Covid-19 treatment. Testing is no longer required. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Italy lifted its pandemic-related travel restrictions on June 1. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Jamaica has removed all pandemic-related travel restrictions. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Japan has reopened to U.S. visitors who are pre-booked on package tours. After applying for their visa, visitors must obtain a negative result from a Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure; install the MySOS app and complete the app’s questionnaire; register their information on Visit Japan Web , which will generate a required QR code; and purchase health insurance to cover Covid-19 treatment in Japan. Visitors are required to wear masks in the country. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Visitors age 5 and over must complete an online declaration and present the resulting QR code when boarding. Testing is no longer required. According to the U.S. Embassy, non-Jordanians must present proof of health insurance.

According to Air Astana, the country’s biggest airline, passengers arriving in Kazakhstan are no longer required to present a negative test result or proof of vaccination. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Kazakhstan.

Fully vaccinated visitors may enter without a pretest. Unvaccinated travelers age 5 and above must present a negative P.C.R. result from up to 72 hours before departure; they must also pay $30 to undergo rapid testing on arrival. Visitors should upload their proof of vaccination or negative test result to the Global Haven platform before departure. They must also complete a health surveillance form and present the resulting QR code when traveling.

The country has removed its pandemic-related entry requirements.

The country has lifted its pandemic-related travel requirements. U.S. visitors must apply online for an eVisa before departure. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

KYRGYZ REPUBLIC

The country has lifted its pandemic-related travel requirements. However, the U.S. Embassy notes that the rules may change with little or no advance notice and that airline requirements may differ from those of the government.

Visitors with proof of vaccination may enter without restriction; C.D.C. cards are accepted. Unvaccinated travelers age 12 and over must obtain a negative result from a Covid-19 test within 48 hours of their departure for Laos; rapid tests are accepted. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

As of April 1, visitors may enter without proof of vaccination or a negative test result, provided that their point of departure is not on Latvia’s list of “high-risk countries” (at the moment, no countries are on this list). The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Fully vaccinated travelers may enter without a negative test result. (Visitors who completed their primary course of vaccination more than six months previously must have also received a booster dose to qualify as vaccinated.) Unvaccinated travelers age 12 and over must present a negative result from a P.C.R. or antigen test taken with 48 hours of departure. They must also undergo a P.C.R. test on arrival and avoid public places until they receive a negative result, usually within 24 hours.

Travelers must present a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken in the 72 hours before departure. All passengers are screened on arrival; those presenting Covid-19 symptoms may be denied entry. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Travelers age 18 and over must show proof of vaccination and complete a health screening form via the Lib Travel app . In addition, all travelers age 5 and over must present a negative result from a P.C.R. or rapid antigen test taken in the 72 hours before departure.

U.S. citizens may enter with a negative result from a P.C.R. test administered no more than 48 hours before travel. According to the U.S. Embassy, visitors from the United States may be required to quarantine; it recommends that travelers confirm the latest rules with the Libyan Embassy in Washington, D.C. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Libya.

LIECHTENSTEIN

See Switzerland.

As of May 1, U.S. visitors are no longer required to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test result on entry; the requirement to complete an arrival form has also been removed. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

U.S. tourists may enter with proof of vaccination or recovery. Travelers are considered vaccinated for nine months following the completion of their primary course of vaccination; a booster extends the validity of their vaccination certificate indefinitely. Recovery certificates are valid for 180 days. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Arriving passengers must present a negative result from an R.T.-P.C.R. test administered no more than 72 hours before boarding. A second test is required on arrival, at a cost of $20. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Madagascar.

Arriving passengers must present a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken within 72 hours of departure; children under the age of 1 are exempt. A negative result from the previous 72 hours is also required to exit Malawi, regardless of the requirements of the destination country.

Fully vaccinated travelers and children age 12 and under may enter without testing. Visitors who were vaccinated outside of Malaysia must upload their proof of vaccination via the MySejahtera app before departure. Unvaccinated adult visitors must obtain a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken within two days of departure; they must also submit to a test within 24 hours of arrival and quarantine for five days. Additional travel restrictions apply for travel to the states of Sabah and Sarawak . The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Arriving passengers no longer need to present a negative test result, but they must complete a Traveler Health Declaration form within 72 hours of departure. They must also carry proof of a booking at a registered tourist accommodation. No quarantine is required for travelers who do not exhibit symptoms. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to the Maldives.

Arriving passengers must present either proof of vaccination or a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken in the previous 72 hours. The same rule applies to those departing the country.

Arriving passengers must present one of the following: proof of vaccination, a certificate of recovery, or a valid negative test result. U.S. travelers should verify their C.D.C. vaccination cards through the VeriFLY app . To qualify as fully vaccinated , travelers aged 18 and over who have undergone only a primary course of vaccination must have received the final dose in the previous 270 days; those who have also received a booster dose are considered vaccinated indefinitely. (Minors are considered vaccinated indefinitely following a primary course of vaccination.) Recovery certificates are valid for 180 days. Negative test results are valid for 24 hours (if from an antigen test) or 72 hours (if from a P.C.R. test). Children under 12 are exempt from the requirements. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Visitors must present proof of vaccination or a negative result from a P.C.R. test conducted within three days of entry. Passengers are subject to a temperature check on arrival. The U.S. Embassy notes that some visitors have reported that their airlines have demanded a negative test result in addition to their proof of vaccination.

Visitors must complete a travel form . Vaccinated travelers do not need to test before departure but must undergo testing on arrival. In addition to the travel form and on-arrival test, unvaccinated travelers age 18 and over must also self-isolate for seven days after arrival in an accommodation of their choice. They must test on day 7 and, if the result is negative, are free to move around the island on day 8. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

U.S. travelers may enter Mexico without testing or quarantine, though they may be subject to health screenings on arrival. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Moldova has lifted all Covid-related entry requirements.

The United States is on the list of “green zone” countries, which means that travelers 16 and over may enter Monaco by presenting one of the following: proof of full vaccination against Covid-19; proof of recovery in the past six months; or a negative result from a P.C.R. or antigen test conducted within the previous 24 hours. To qualify as fully vaccinated, everyone 18 or over must have received a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine no later than nine months following the completion of their first course of vaccination. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

The country has removed its Covid-related entry requirements. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Arriving passengers are no longer required to present proof of vaccination or a negative test result. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Arriving passengers must present a completed health form . They must also provide either proof of vaccination or a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken in the 72 hours before travel. Children under 12 are exempt from the requirements.

Vaccinated visitors as well as children age 11 and younger may now enter without testing. Unvaccinated travelers over the age of 11 must present a negative result from a P.C.R. test administered within 72 hours of their departure for Mozambique; alternatively, they may choose to pay to undergo a rapid test on arrival. The U.S. Embassy encourages U.S. travelers to obtain their visa before departure via the Mozambican Embassy in Washington, D.C. or the Mozambican consulate in New York.

Visitors must carry a valid tourist visa. They must also present either proof of vaccination or a negative result from a P.C.R. test within 72 hours of departure. (Children under 6 are exempt.) In addition, they must carry Covid-19 insurance, complete a health declaration, and pay to undergo rapid testing on arrival.

Passengers who present proof of vaccination may enter without testing. Unvaccinated visitors age 5 and over must provide a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken within 72 hours of travel. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Visitors age 5 and over arriving by air must present either proof of vaccination or a negative result from a Covid-19 test (R.T.-P.C.R., N.A.A.T., or Gene Xpert) taken within 72 hours of departure. Travelers who display symptoms may be subject to testing on arrival.

NETHERLANDS

Vaccinated visitors from the United States may now enter without a negative test result. (A booster dose is required if more than 270 days have passed since the traveler completed his or her primary course of vaccination.) Unvaccinated travelers 18 and over are not allowed entry unless they qualify for an exemption . The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

NEW CALEDONIA

U.S. tourists age 12 and over must present one of the following: proof of vaccination, a certificate of recovery from the previous six months; a negative result from an R.T.-P.C.R. test taken within 72 hours of boarding; or a negative result from a rapid antigen test taken in the previous 48 hours. At the time of boarding, they must also present a sworn statement in which they commit to undergo testing within two days of arrival. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to New Caledonia. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand is now open to vaccinated visitors from the United States and other “visa waiver” countries. Arriving passengers must complete an online declaration ; provide a negative test result before departure; and self-test on arrival and on day 5 or 6 in the country. Children under 2 are exempt from the pre-departure test requirement; babies under 6 months are exempt from the post-arrival test requirement. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Travelers who can provide proof of vaccination may now enter without testing. Unvaccinated travelers must present a negative result from an R.T.-P.C.R. test taken within 72 hours of entry. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Nicaragua.

Travelers must obtain a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken no more than 72 hours before departure and register the result online. A negative test result from the previous 72 hours is also required to exit the country.

Arriving passengers must register online before travel. Fully vaccinated travelers may now enter without testing (a booster is not required to qualify). Unvaccinated travelers must upload a negative result from a P.C.R. test administered within 48 hours of departure; they must also pre-pay for tests on days 2 and 7 and isolate after arrival until they receive a negative result from the second test. Children under 18 are exempt from the requirements. Travelers leaving Nigeria must present either proof of vaccination or a negative result from a P.C.R. test conducted within 48 hours of departure.

NORTH MACEDONIA

Visitors are no longer required to provide a negative test result or proof of vaccination. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Norway has lifted all pandemic-related travel restrictions. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Vaccinated travelers may enter without a pretest. Unvaccinated travelers over the age of 12 must present a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken within 72 hours of boarding. All passengers should download the Pass Track App before travel and should be aware that they may be subject to rapid testing on arrival.

Palau is open to fully vaccinated visitors. Arriving passengers must provide a negative result from a P.C.R., N.A.A.T., R.T.-P.C.R. or other approved molecular test taken within three days of their departure. Alternatively, they may present a negative result from an antigen test taken no more than one day before departure, or documentation of recovery from Covid, including proof of a recent positive viral test and a letter from a health care provider or a public health official clearing the person to travel. All travelers will also undergo testing after arrival in Palau.

Travelers are required to submit a completed health affidavit to their airline before boarding. Vaccinated travelers can enter Panama without a pretest (a booster is not required to qualify). Unvaccinated travelers must present a negative result from a P.C.R. or antigen test. If the test result is more than 72 hours old at the time of the traveler’s arrival in Panama, a rapid Covid-19 test will be performed at the airport, at a cost of $50. Accompanied children under 17 are exempt from the requirements. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

U.S. visitors must apply for a tourist visa before travel. Visitors age 18 and over must show proof of vaccination; testing is no longer required. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Foreign visitors with proof of vaccination are no longer required to test before travel. Unvaccinated travelers must present a negative result from an R.T.-P.C.R., L.A.M.P., or N.A.A.T. test taken no more than 72 hours before departure; children under 12 are exempt.

Visitors must present either proof of full vaccination or a negative result from a molecular test taken within 48 hours of departure; they must also complete an affidavit of health . Children under 12 are exempt from the testing and vaccination requirements but must be without Covid-19 symptoms at the time of boarding.

PHILIPPINES

Visitors from the United States are allowed entry provided they carry the following documents: proof of vaccination; passports that are valid for at least six months beyond their date of arrival; and a ticket for outbound travel within 30 days of arrival. Visitors must also complete a health declaration card ; they are no longer required to test before entry. Unvaccinated visitors over age 12 will not be allowed entry.

Visitors may now enter without testing, quarantine or proof of vaccination.

Arriving passengers age 12 and over must present a negative result from an R.T.-P.C.R. or N.A.A.T. test conducted no more than 72 hours before boarding, or from a rapid test from the previous 24 hours. Travelers who carry an E.U. Digital Covid Certificate or proof of vaccination issued in one of several approved countries may enter without a negative pretest. The United States is not among the approved countries; however, some travelers have reported that their airlines have told them that their C.D.C. vaccination cards will be accepted in lieu of a negative test result. There is no official guidance on this point, so the U.S. Embassy “ strongly recommends ” that travelers carrying C.D.C. vaccination cards arrive with a valid negative test result. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Visitors must register online before travel. Fully vaccinated and recovered travelers from the United States and other countries that do not appear on Qatar’s red list may enter with a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken within 48 hours of departure. In addition to the pretest, unvaccinated travelers from the United States must also quarantine for five days after arrival and undergo a P.C.R. test on arrival and a rapid test on day 5. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Those planning to travel to the Republic of Congo must complete an online form , pre-pay roughly $68 for a Covid-19 test to be administered on arrival, and print the receipt for that payment to carry with them while traveling. Anyone who tests positive on arrival must isolate until they receive a negative result. Departing travelers must present a negative result from a virus test conducted no more than 72 hours before their scheduled departure.

Romania has lifted all pandemic-related travel restrictions.

Before traveling to Rwanda, visitors must complete a passenger locator form and obtain a negative result from an antigen test conducted no more than 72 hours before their flight departure. Visitors must also pay $5 to undergo an additional rapid test on arrival. Travelers leaving Rwanda must obtain a negative Covid-19 test result within 72 hours of their departing flight. Children under 5 are exempt from testing. Tourists to the national parks may face additional requirements.

ST. KITTS AND NEVIS

All visitors 18 and over must be fully vaccinated, while unvaccinated minors may enter with their accompanying vaccinated adults and follow the same regulations. In addition to their proof of vaccination, arriving passengers must present either a negative result from an R.T.-P.C.R. or N.A.A.T. test taken within three days of arrival, or a negative result from a rapid antigen test taken within one day of arrival. Each visitor must also complete an embarkation form no later than 24 hours before departure. Travelers who have recovered from Covid-19 are not exempt from the pretest requirement. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Visitors must complete a health screening form before departure. As of April 2, fully vaccinated travelers are no longer required to test before travel. Unvaccinated travelers 5 and over must present a negative result from a P.C.R. test conducted in the five days before arrival. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

Fully vaccinated visitors from the United States no longer need to test before travel; they must complete a health form on landing and may be subject to testing. Unvaccinated travelers must arrive with one of the following: a negative result from a P.C.R. test conducted in the previous 72 hours, or a negative antigen result from the previous 24 hours. They may be subject to testing on arrival; they must quarantine for 5 days and undergo an additional test on day 3 or 4 of quarantine. Minors follow the protocol of their parents or guardians. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

See Italy. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE

The government has lifted all pandemic-related travel restrictions.

SAUDI ARABIA

Visitors must apply for a tourist visa before travel. According to the U.S. Embassy, they must also show proof of insurance that covers illness related to Covid-19.

Arriving passengers must present either proof of vaccination or a negative result from a P.C.R. or R.T.-P.C.R. test taken in the 72 hours before arrival. Children under 2 are exempt.

The country has removed its pandemic-related travel restrictions. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Visitors must apply for travel authorization up to 72 hours before departure. Most applications are processed within 12 hours of submission; expedited processing is available for an additional fee. In applying for authorization, unvaccinated visitors must upload a negative result from an R.T.-P.C.R. test administered no more than 72 hours before departure or a negative result from a rapid antigen test from within 24 hours of departure. Vaccinated travelers do not need to provide a negative test result. (Travelers age 18 and over who completed their primary course of vaccination more than six months previously must also have received a booster dose to qualify as vaccinated.) Visitors must also submit their accommodation bookings as well as proof of travel insurance with full medical coverage valid for the duration of their stay. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

SIERRA LEONE

Visitors must register online before departure. Vaccinated travelers may enter without testing. Unvaccinated travelers do not need a pre-departure test, but they must pay in advance to undergo both a rapid test and a P.C.R. test on arrival. All passengers are subject to a health screening at the airport. To exit the country, all travelers, regardless of their vaccination status, must obtain a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken between 48 and hours before departure. Children under 5 are exempt from the test requirements.

All visitors must complete an arrival card within three days of entry and install the TraceTogether app. Vaccinated travelers as well as unvaccinated children born in or after 2010 may now enter without testing or quarantine. Unvaccinated travelers born in or before 2009 must apply for permission to enter. If approved, they must obtain a negative result from either a P.C.R. test or an antigen test administered within two days of departure. (Unvaccinated travelers who have a positive test result dated between 14 and 90 days before their departure for Singapore may be exempt from the pre-departure test.) Unvaccinated travelers must also quarantine for seven days after arrival. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Slovakia has eliminated all pandemic-related travel restrictions. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Visitors arriving from the United States are no longer required to test or show proof of vaccination. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Visitors must present a negative result from a Covid-19 test conducted within 72 hours of arrival and submit to a health screening on entry. Travelers to Somaliland may avoid a 14-day quarantine by presenting a negative result from a Covid-19 test taken in the previous 96 hours. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

SOUTH AFRICA

South korea.

Visitors should register their information on the Q-Code website before departure. Arriving passengers must present proof of full vaccination (including a booster shot if more than 180 days have passed since the completion of the traveler’s first vaccine series). Travelers must also complete a health questionnaire and travel record declaration. In addition, visitors must provide a negative result from a supervised rapid antigen test taken within 24 hours of departure, or a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken in the previous 48 hours. In addition, all travelers must undergo a P.C.R. test within three days of entry. Travelers who display symptoms on arrival may be subject to testing at the airport. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

SOUTH SUDAN

Both inbound and outbound passengers must present proof of vaccination and a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken in the previous 72 hours. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

U.S. visitors may enter Spain with one of the following: proof of vaccination; a certificate of recovery from the previous 180 days; a negative result from an N.A.A.T. test performed within 72 hours of departure; or a negative result from a rapid antigen test performed within 24 hours of departure. To qualify as vaccinated, visitors who have completed only a primary course of vaccination must have received their final dose within the past nine months; those who have also received a booster dose face no time restriction. Children under 12 are exempt from the requirements. Before departure, all visitors must complete a health control form , which will generate a QR code that must be presented at the time of boarding and upon entry in Spain. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Fully vaccinated visitors as well as children under 12 may enter Sri Lanka without testing. Unvaccinated travelers age 12 and over must present a negative result from P.C.R. test taken within 72 hours of departure, or a negative result from a rapid antigen test conducted within 48 hours of departure. All visitors must purchase Covid-19 insurance at a cost of $12 per month.

Visitors age 8 and over arriving from the United States must present either a certificate of vaccination or a negative result from a P.C.R. test administered no more than 96 hours before arrival. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Sudan.

Travelers who are vaccinated or who can document their recovery from Covid-19 in the previous six months are no longer required to test before entry. Unvaccinated visitors age 12 and over must carry a negative result from a P.C.R. test conducted within 48 hours of travel or from an antigen test from the previous 24 hours. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Sweden has lifted all pandemic-related entry restrictions.

SWITZERLAND

As of May 2, U.S. visitors may enter without testing or providing proof of vaccination. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

All travelers age 3 and over must show either proof of vaccination or a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken within 72 hours of their arrival in the country. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Tajikistan.

Visitors to Tanzania must complete a health surveillance form within 24 hours of arrival. (Those traveling directly to Zanzibar should complete this form instead.) Travelers who present a vaccination card that includes a QR code may enter without testing. (The U.S. Embassy advises travelers to look here for information on how to obtain a QR code for a C.D.C. vaccination card.) Unvaccinated travelers must present a negative result from an R.T.-P.C.R. or N.A.A.T. test administered within 72 hours of travel; the test result must include a QR code. Children 5 and under are exempt from the test requirement.

Fully vaccinated and recovered international visitors may now enter Thailand without quarantine or testing. Travelers must apply for a Thailand Pass before departure and provide proof of health insurance to cover at least $10,000 in medical expenses. Unvaccinated travelers must provide a negative result from an R.T.-P.C.R. test conducted within 72 hours of departure. They must also apply for a Thailand Pass and provide proof of insurance. Unvaccinated travelers who arrive without a valid negative test result must follow the instructions of the public health officer they meet on arrival. All passengers undergo health screening on arrival, including a temperature check. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

All visitors must complete a travel form and upload a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken no more than three days before their departure for Togo. Visitors must also pay in advance for a second P.C.R. test, to be administered upon their arrival at Lomé Airport; proof of payment for the test must be shown before boarding. Arriving passengers must self-isolate until they receive a negative result from their on-arrival test, usually within 24 hours. Visitors are required to download the Togo Safe app; those who refuse may have to quarantine in a state facility for at least two weeks. Exit testing at the traveler’s expense is required no more than 72 hours before their departing flight.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

As of July 1, visitors will no longer be required to test before entry. They also no longer need to show proof of vaccination or apply for a travel pass. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Arriving passengers must complete an online questionnaire . Travelers who are fully vaccinated do not need to test before travel. Unvaccinated travelers 6 and over must present either a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken no more than 48 hours before departure or a negative result from an antigen test that is no more than 24 hours old. Travelers may be subject to random testing on arrival.

TURKS AND CAICOS

Fully vaccinated visitors may now enter without testing (a booster is not required to qualify). Unvaccinated travelers age 18 and over are not allowed entry. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Fully vaccinated travelers and children age 5 and under may enter without testing. Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated travelers must present a negative result from a P.C.R. test conducted no more than 72 hours before boarding.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Vaccinated visitors to Abu Dhabi are no longer required to test before travel. Unvaccinated travelers age 16 and over must present either a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken in the previous 48 hours, or a Covid-19 recovery certificate dated within 30 days of departure; the certificate must have a QR code. Visitors must be fully vaccinated to enter most public places in Abu Dhabi.

Fully vaccinated visitors to Dubai no longer need to test before travel; their proof of vaccination must include a QR code. Unvaccinated travelers age 12 and over must present a negative result from a P.C.R. test from the previous 48 hours; alternatively, they may present proof of recovery from Covid-19 in the previous month. The U.S. Embassy advises travelers to check with their airlines for the latest information on testing requirements. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

UNITED KINGDOM

The United Kingdom has lifted all pandemic-related travel restrictions. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Visitors must complete a health declaration form before departure and carry proof of travel insurance. Vaccinated travelers and those who have recovered from Covid-19 in the previous 90 days may now enter without testing. Unvaccinated and unrecovered travelers age 6 and over must present a negative result from a P.C.R. or antigen test conducted in the 72 hours before departure; in addition, they must either quarantine for 14 days or undergo a P.C.R. test on day 7. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Travelers may now enter without testing or proof of vaccination; they must complete a health screening form on arrival and may be subject to testing if they display symptoms. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Uzbekistan.

Arriving passengers must present either proof of vaccination or a negative result from an R.T.-P.C.R. test taken within 72 hours of entry. (A booster dose is required to qualify as vaccinated if more than 270 days have passed since the completion of the first vaccine series.) The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is “Level Unknown”; the agency recommends that those who are unvaccinated avoid travel to Venezuela.

Foreign visitors must present proof of travel insurance worth at least $10,000 and download and use the PC-COVID app while in the country. Travelers are not required to test or provide proof of vaccination, but they are asked to monitor their health for 10 days and inform authorities if they develop any Covid-19 symptoms. The C.D.C. risk assessment for Covid-19 is Level 3: High.

Vaccinated travelers may now enter without testing (a booster is not required to qualify). Unvaccinated travelers must carry a negative result from a P.C.R. test taken in the 72 hours before departure; children under 12 are exempt. All passengers undergo health screening on arrival; symptomatic travelers must isolate for 14 days and may be required to undergo testing.

Vaccinated visitors may now enter without testing. Unvaccinated visitors must present a negative result from a P.C.R. test administered no more than 48 hours before travel.

Heather Murphy, Ceylan Yeginsu, Concepción de León and Karen Schwartz contributed reporting.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places for a Changed World for 2022.

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40 Ways to Take a Socially Distanced Trip

Even though the pandemic that shall not be named has prompted the cancellation of many (every) trip, it’s still possible to reconnect with the world. here are 40-plus ideas for u.s. trips, vetted and tested by afar editors, for when the time is right..

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Photo by C Rolan / Shutterstock

Know Before You Go

Seven rules to live by if you plan to travel responsibly.

1. Do your research ahead of time. Check the COVID regulations in the destination you plan to visit. Do they encourage masking and social distancing? Are they ready to welcome visitors? If so, book lodging and restaurant reservations in advance as best you can.

2. Protect the public. When you go, practice social distancing (stay six feet from people outside your inner circle) and mask up . A new CDC study found that exposure to potentially infectious aerosols decreased by 95 percent when tightly fitted or double masks were worn.

3. Get tested. Good rule of thumb nowadays is to get a COVID-19 PCR or rapid test before you go and when you return home. Review testing and quarantine rules in your home state and destination.

4. Prepare for the unexpected—and pack for it, too. Flexible cancellation policies are more common now, thankfully, though be sure to read all the fine print. Bring extra masks, hand sanitizer, and wipes. It’s better to be overprepared than underprepared.

5. Support local businesses every step of the way. Many prefer payment with credit or debit cards right now, to avoid handling cash. In NYC, you may be charged a COVID surcharge of up to 10 percent of your pre-tax bill at restaurants, to help cover costs incurred during the pandemic.

6. Be patient and tip well. Have respect and empathy for hospitality professionals trying to offer you a memorable experience in these difficult times. You owe it to them to do your best to keep them safe. For example, if a restaurant server is taking care of you while you’re eating and unmasked, make sure you don’t talk directly at the server. (It’s awkward, we know, but err on the side of caution as much as possible.)

7. Follow the rules of the communities you visit. Check for any local or regional updates while you’re on the road and once you return home: Tourism boards and municipalities are constantly updating their information online.

READ MORE What All Travelers Should Be Doing During Coronavirus

Our Picks for Face Masks to Buy—and the Latest Rules for Wearing Them

When Will We Travel Abroad Again?

RV and Camping

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Photo courtesy Outdoorsy RV Rental

Living that #RVlife...

Following years of #vanlife fantasies, romanticized by vintage camper vans and shining silver Airstreams , the bring-your-accommodation-with-you road trip suddenly found itself back in the spotlight thanks to COVID.

RV rentals increased a staggering 1,000 percent from April to June nationwide last year, according to RVShare.com , the largest peer-to-peer RV rental marketplace. As work from home and homeschooling became a reality and travelers sought ways to safely hit the road, RVs offered the kind of seclusion and social distancing many of us craved. But it feels like every RV should come with a first-timer’s manual—which is why we compiled this step-by-step guide to traveling in a RV during a pandemic , including how to rent (check out Outdoorsy RV , pictured), where to park, and how to stay hygienic while traveling. (The main takeaway: Get one with a bathroom.)

If it’s your debut RV trip with your family, this beginner’s guide to taking an RV trip with kids will help you create a journey that’s just right for your crew. Who knows, you may love it so much you’ll decide to join the ranks of the growing number of families who are on the road full time .

Now, where to go? Start by looking to see if there are any coronavirus-related travel restrictions such as COVID tests required or quarantines in the states you will be traveling to or through.

Big campgrounds in Yosemite, the Great Smoky Mountains, Zion, and Yellowstone national parks , among others, may have limited availability or amenities. Use apps such as Hipcamp and the Dyrt to find off-the-beaten-path RV and glamping sites instead. Numerous Kampgrounds of America (KOA) sites are also open and taking bookings. Make a week of it and wander your way around California or New England , or up and down the Blue Ridge Parkway on one of these classic road trips .

Want to live the RV life without dealing with the parking?

Check into an Airstream (or tiny house!) at Caravan Outpost , a glamping garden oasis in downtown Ojai. Staying there is like trying on the SoCal life for a weekend: You’re within easy access of vegan restaurants and cool little shops, and Airstreams themselves are spacious (and kid and pet friendly). Get one with a firepit, and don’t miss the very tempting gift shop.

READ MORE How an Unplanned Road Trip Helped a California Family Reclaim the Van

Tiny Trailers We’re Obsessing Over

What Camping During COVID Is Actually Like

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Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

If you had to postpone a trip to Europe

Consider these U.S. alternatives for classic European summer holiday destinations.

VIRGINIA WINE COUNTRY

If you love : Off-the-radar Italian villages and rustic vineyards Where to stay : The Goodstone Inn & Restaurant Before you go : Note that masks must be worn inside public places.

CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS

If you love: The artsy and craft-centric coastal region of Cornwall, England Where to stay: Chatham Bars Inn Before you go: You’ll need a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of arriving.

SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

If you love: The lavender fields and rolling vineyards of Provence, France Where to stay: Farmhouse Inn Before you go: Pledge to “travel kindly” in Sonoma and beyond.

ASPEN, COLORADO

If you love: Fresh mountain air and hiking in the Swiss Alps Where to stay: The Little Nell Before you go: Read and follow the five steps to care for Coloradans .

GRAND MARAIS, MINNESOTA

If you love: Attractive lakeside villages in Sweden Where to stay: Mayhew Inn Before you go: People are required to wear masks inside businesses and public places (unless they are completely alone).

Note: All of the properties mentioned in this story are open as of publishing, and we’ve noted states with quarantine and testing restrictions in place. To be sure you’re traveling safely and responsibly across the United States , check local travel restrictions before you go.

READ MORE 11 Places in the United States That Feel Like Europe

How to Recreate Your Canceled Europe Trip at Home

Pretend You’re in Paris With This Itinerary

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Photo by Ben Fitchett

Remote cabins and soaking tubs are calling...

Among the many hotels in New York’s Catskill mountain region, Urban Cowboy Lodge (pictured) makes social distancing easy with guest rooms spread across five separate buildings, bonfires and guided hikes, and a focus on outdoor and in-room dining (there’s even a Roberta’s pizza truck parked outside). We also love pairing a hike on Bear Mountain with some quiet time at the Abbey Inn and Spa in artsy Peekskill, way up on a hill overlooking the Hudson River. (Its spa is open now.) The Floating Farmhouse in Eldred, NY, sits right on a swimming creek (hence “floating”); the beautifully renovated 1820s manor house comes with a wood-fire pizza oven, a barn fit for dinner parties, and sleeps 10 (from $1,550 a night).

A little farther north in the Berkshires in Massachusetts, seek refuge at Tourists , a former midcentury motor lodge turned 48-room resort, which reopened for Thursday-Sunday stays with new COVID safety measures . In Vermont near Mount Snow, look to Treehouse Village Inn where you can book a luxury A-frame treehouse on sweeping grounds and enjoy the perks of a B&B and the region (lakes, waterfalls, hikes, and IPA for days).

The Resort at Paws Up sits on a 37,000-acre ranch in Greenough, Montana, with 100 miles of trails and 10 miles of Blackfoot River; the 1.5-million-acre Bob Marshall Wilderness Area is also nearby. In addition to private homes and safari-style glamping tents, guests can still go horseback riding, fly fishing, and mountain biking. As of June 1, 2021, adults can check into one of 12 free-standing homes on property, the new Green O .

In Wyoming, Amangani —a hilltop oasis on the edge of Grand Teton National Park—has large suites with oversized terraces and fireplaces, outdoor dining on the sundeck, and private tours of Yellowstone National Park. We also love the family-friendly Snowcreek Resort in California’s Mammoth Lakes . Its vacation rentals are made for social distancing: no need to visit reception or deal with any humans at check-in; a keycode for entry; and miles of nearby hiking and biking trails that wind their way into Mammoth itself.

Within the larger Appalachian mountain range, which runs from Maine all the way down to northern Alabama, the Blue Ridge Mountains are a quintessential American destination, home to bluegrass music , two national parks, and scenic road trip opportunities . For those who prefer the indoor luxuries of a hotel mixed with the privacy of camping in the woods, look no further than this curated list of Blue Ridge Mountain cabins you can rent on Airbnb or Vrbo .

That desert sky and Camelback mountain hikes are calling: We’ve already booked a long weekend in Scottsdale, Arizona, in the fall at this Marriott home near Old Town. We were also eyeing socially distanced stays with our friends at the cottages at L’Auberge de Sedona ; suites or casitas at Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa and JW Marriott Camelback Inn Scottsdale Resort and Spa ; and the studio suites at Mountain Shadows Resort Scottsdale .

READ MORE A Family-Friendly Road Trip to California’s Mammoth Lakes

19 Cozy Airbnb Cabins Where You Can Escape From the World

The Best New Hotels in the Catskills and Hudson Valley, New York in 2020

On the Water

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Photo courtesy Read McKendree

In the water, by the water...

One of the best ways to beat the heat in the summer is heading to the water—whether that means an ocean, lake, river, or canal. But why rent a house near the water when you can actually stay on the water? There are all sorts of floating accommodations across the United States. Some are permanently docked in marina neighborhoods, like those in Seattle and Sausalito. Others cruise freely in popular houseboating destinations like Lake Powell, Lake Mead, and Lake Havasu. You’ll find houseboats floating in places you may not expect, such as a private lake in Virginia or a glampsite on the Mississippi River. For your browsing pleasure, here are 11 AFAR-approved houseboats you can rent across the U.S.

Overlooking Kenoza Lake in the western Catskills in New York , Kenoza Hall is a squeaky-clean, upscale hotel by Foster Supply Hospitality (best known for its stellar restaurants, which have also reopened ). You can opt to go for an on-site hike with a prepared picnic lunch, followed by a dip in the lake—or a long bath in your own deep-soaking tub.

At the Ritz-Carlton Reynolds on Lake Oconee , about 90 minutes south of Atlanta , masks are mandated for indoor public spaces, which makes us more inclined to discuss its three-floor Lake House with a private pool, perfect for a family escape.

Suttle Lodge in Central Oregon —designed by the folks behind Portland’s Ace Hotel—is a lakeside lodge that’s smack in the middle of Deschutes National Forest. Bring your to-go meal from the Boathouse to the dock or down by the lake and finally . . . relax.

Wisconsin’s Camp Wandawega looks like it was plucked straight from Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom . Originally opened in 1925 as a place for Chicagoans to escape Prohibition laws, the lakefront getaway reinvented itself in the 1970s as a church camp for Latvian Catholics. These days, when it’s not booked for a wedding or private retreatm, its vintage cabins , rustic camping cluster , and fully renovated Camp Wandawega Hillhouse are listed on Airbnb.

EAST COAST: Beach season continues well into September across much of the country, which means you could grab a towel and some sustainable sunscreen and make a day trip to one of these beloved small beach towns . (Shout-out to Asbury Park, NJ ! Just remember to check local restrictions before you go.)

Over at Sound View Greenport (pictured) on Long Island’s North Fork , guests can book one- and two-bedroom suites with full kitchens and private outdoor decks overlooking the ocean. (Bonus: It’s bordered by a private beach and bird sanctuary.)

Farther out on Nantucket , a former retreat for whaling captain Robert Calder in a 19th-century federal-style mansion has been reborn as a 14-room Life House . The goal of this boutique hotel is to honor the building’s history as “a nonchalant innkeeper’s humble abode,” which sounds like the ideal spot to ride out this pandemic. You’ll find us in the garden lounge by the fire pit.

GULF COAST: Alabama beaches? Hear us out: Gulf Shores and Orange Beach have long been a regional getaway, but we have our eye on Gulf State Park —6,000 protected acres paid for by the reparations of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill—and its accompanying lodge . Bring your bike: There are 28 miles of trails.

WEST COAST: You can hear the Pacific lap the shore below your balcony room at Malibu Beach Inn —take them up on a picnic basket for two customized by the Picnic Collective . Another AFAR favorite in Los Angeles , the Santa Monica Proper Hotel , is blocks from the beach and has impeccable Kelly Wearstler–designed rooms that are vacated 24 hours before you arrive.

Find relaxation and natural beauty at Nick’s Cove , set on Tomales Bay , across from Point Reyes National Seashore in northern California. Local outfitter Blue Waters Kayaking will literally meet you on the deck of your cottage (if you’re lucky enough to secure one of the rooms on the water) and show you the magic of the area, the true way it needs to be seen—from the water.

Timber Cove Resort , a 1963 stone, timber, and glass A-frame on the Sonoma County coast , delivers fresh sea air and “hippie, rustic modern” vibes. The 46 guest rooms are filled with midcentury modern furnishings, pendant lamps, and Crosley record players. Guests can sample local wines and cheeses by an ocean-facing firepit.

Looking to splurge and feel good about it? Big Sur’s epic Post Ranch Inn has carefully considered its reopening plan, and after a global (!) search developed and trademarked an odorless, nontoxic cleaning solution called Premium Purity.

One of AFAR’s top new hotels , Captain Whidbey Inn on Washington’s Whidbey Island , has long felt like a local’s secret. A two-hour car and ferry ride from Seattle, the restored century-old lodge now has four stand-alone cabins, so you can spread out on the lawn, grab a hammock or a canoe, and dig into some fresh local seafood while staying far, far away from the rest of the continental U.S.

Get away from it all in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness , a 100-mile Minnesota preserve along the U.S.-Canadian border that does not have streetlights, electricity, or buildings. What it does have, in spades? Lots of water (more than 1,000 lakes and rivers!), scenic campgrounds (more than 2,200!), and hiking trails. Epic wilderness, here we come.

READ MORE My Family Vacation to the Chesapeake Bay—During COVID

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Food and Wine

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Photos courtesy of Balantyre

If you prefer wine over wilderness...

...try the Calistoga Motor Lodge in Napa Valley, where the motel-style rooms open to the outdoors for plenty of fresh air and guests have access to complimentary bikes for solo rides through the vineyards.

If you have kids with you in wine country, Marriott now rents out homes and villas , like this “farmhouse chic” (aka beautiful ) four-bedroom in Sonoma complete with a hot tub and basketball court.

If you like olive oil tasting more than winetasting, visit one of these nine amazing olive orchards across the U.S.

If you’d rather let someone else do the produce picking, follow chef Daniel Boulud (pictured) to Lenox, Massachusetts, where he’s using hyper local ingredients to reimagine his French dishes at Cafe Boulud New York at Blantyre . Book dinner Wednesday through Saturday or weekend brunch.

If you like Franco-California cuisine instead, Auberge du Soleil is home to Napa’s first fine-dining restaurant, led by French restaurateur Claude Rouas. It continues to shine, especially now with its exquisite outdoor dining (and flexible booking).

If you just want a view and some sunshine with your meal, claim a table at Ventana Big Sur. All of those impossibly fresh local meals are now included in an overnight stay, and only resort guests have access to the Sur House with its elevated patio dining (literally—it seems to soar over the Pacific).

Reporting by Michelle Baran, Natalie Beauregard, Tim Chester, Maggie Fuller, Aislyn Greene, Katherine LaGrave, Devorah Lev-Tov, Lyndsey Matthews, and Laura Dannen Redman. This article was originally published August 21, 2020; it was updated March 2, 2021 with new information. As the U.S. continues to face COVID, please check local regulations before making travel plans.

Hotels we write about are independently vetted and recommended by our editors. AFAR may earn a commission if you book through our links, which helps support our independent publication.

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The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern and its surrounding gardens

Disclaimer: This translation was last updated on August 2, 2022. For up-to-date content, please visit the English version of this page.

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Learning from work-from-home issues during the COVID-19 pandemic: Balance speaks louder than words

Amanda m. y. chu.

1 Department of Social Sciences, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong

Thomas W. C. Chan

2 Department of Information Systems, Business Statistics and Operations Management, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong

Mike K. P. So

Associated data.

Due to ethical restrictions, data are available from The Education University of Hong Kong for researchers who meet the criteria for access to sensitive data. Data requests will need to be submitted to Dr. Amanda Chu, Principal Investigator ( kh.khude@uhcadnama ) for access to sensitive data.

During the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, many employees have switched to working from home. Despite the findings of previous research that working from home can improve productivity, the scale, nature, and purpose of those studies are not the same as in the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic. We studied the effects that three stress relievers of the work-from-home environment–company support, supervisor’s trust in the subordinate, and work-life balance–had on employees’ psychological well-being (stress and happiness), which in turn influenced productivity and engagement in non-work-related activities during working hours. In order to collect honest responses on sensitive questions or negative forms of behavior including stress and non-work-related activities, we adopted the randomized response technique in the survey design to minimize response bias. We collected a total of 500 valid responses and analyzed the results with structural equation modelling. We found that among the three stress relievers, work-life balance was the only significant construct that affected psychological well-being. Stress when working from home promoted non-work-related activities during working hours, whereas happiness improved productivity. Interestingly, non-work-related activities had no significant effect on productivity. The research findings provide evidence that management’s maintenance of a healthy work-life balance for colleagues when they are working from home is important for supporting their psychosocial well-being and in turn upholding their work productivity.

Introduction

Covid-19 leads to working from home.

Before the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, most companies had not adopted the work-from-home (or working from home, WFH) approach. Employees needed to go to their offices on every working day. During the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals have been and are continuing to be advised to maintain social distancing to minimize the chance of infection [ 1 ]. To control the crisis, some countries and cities even need to institute lockdown measures to restrict the activities of their citizens [ 2 ]. However, under social distancing and lockdown policies, many employees are not able to go to their offices as usual. To maintain business operations, a majority of companies have responded improvisationally by introducing new WFH arrangements, although most of them have had little experience with such arrangements [ 3 , 4 ]. Because WFH can reduce infection rates and is accompanied by the low economic costs of confinement [ 5 ], it should be a suitable measure for facing the COVID-19 challenge. However, not everyone is happy with working from home or is able to carry it out [ 6 ].

Consequences of working from home

The WFH arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic may have an impact on employees’ psychological well-being and, by extension, on their work performance. Because many employees have been forced to make WFH arrangements as a result of social distancing or lockdown policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, their WFH experiences may differ from those of employees in earlier studies, who were voluntarily working from home for a variety of reasons [ 4 , 7 , 8 ].

Indeed, the forced home confinement during lockdowns to control COVID-19 might affect individuals’ psychological well-being, including increasing their chances of disturbed sleep and insomnia because of the stressful situation and lack of positive stimuli [ 9 ]. Previous studies have confirmed the association between lockdown and negative psychological outcomes [ 10 ], such as higher stress levels [ 11 ]. However, the impact of WFH on workers’ psychological well-beings is not yet known. Being forced to engage in WFH but also unprepared for it may cause added stress on employees. On the positive side, remote employees have a high control of their working schedule and are able to work flexibly, which may have a positive impact on their job satisfaction [ 7 ]. They can adjust their working time so that they can fulfill other demands in their life, including family matters. A study [ 12 ] revealed that job flexibility could reduce work-to-home conflicts (conflicts caused by work issues interrupting home issues), and those reduced conflicts may help employees lower the distress of not fulfilling their family responsibilities.

Previous research has also suggested that positive psychological well-being is important for maintaining productivity in the workplace [ 13 ] although relatively little research has been done to study negative psychological well-being on employees’ job performance, especially during the WFH period. In addition, giving employees autonomy at home, along with controlling their boundaries, such as whether they conduct non-work-related activities during working hours, may be a great concern for employers [ 14 ]. According to the stress mindset theory, stress can be either enhance or debilitate one’s productivity [ 15 ] and growing evidence has shown that mindset shapes one’s stress response [ 16 ]. If employees hold the mindset that stress is debilitating, they will tend to focus on negative information from stressors, and that in turn will reinforce their negative beliefs and cause them to take action to avoid the stressors. In contrast, if employees hold the mindset that stress is enhancing, they will focus on positive information about stressors and will face their stresses and cope well with them [ 17 ]. By applying the stress mindset theory, we believe that when employees face stress, some can cope with it and maintain their focus on their work tasks while others may move on to other tasks to avoid the stress, instead of focusing on their work tasks. Those other tasks could be non-work-related activities, such as playing sports, shopping, and handling family matters. However, little empirical research has been conducted in these areas because they involve sensitive questions, such as whether the respondent is feeling stressed, and whether the respondent is conducting non-work-related activities during working hours [ 18 ]. Respondents are less willing to provide honest responses when they are asked such sensitive questions directly, and that dishonesty leads to response bias [ 19 ]. Therefore, we adopted the modified randomized response technique (RRT) to collect data on stress and non-work-related activities during working hours.

This research sought to investigate how the WFH environment affects individuals’ psychological well-being, and in turn how WFH impacts their work productivity and the frequency with which they conduct non-work-related activities during working hours when they are working from home.

Materials and methods

Methodology, participants.

A purposeful sample of 500 full-time employees in Hong Kong who experienced WFH for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic was recruited online. The survey took place in early September 2020, which was near the end of the second period of growth in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong [ 20 ]. Table 1 shows a summary of the respondents’ demographic data. Such a diversity of participants reduces potential bias caused by the influence of socioeconomic backgrounds.

Survey design

We identified our target respondents through personal networks and referrals, and then contacted them via emails and informed them of the study’s rationale. After confirming that the individuals were indeed our target respondents, we invited them to complete our self-administrated online questionnaire. All respondents were informed of the following in the first page of the online questionnaire: (1) the researcher’s name, affiliation, and contact details; (2) the topic and the aim of the study; and (3) the assurance that information about participation was anonymous and would be gathered on a voluntary basis. We obtained the respondents’ consent by asking them to click a button on the screen before starting the questionnaire. The study was conducted according to the prevailing guidelines on ethics in research, and it was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of The Education University of Hong Kong (reference number 2019-2020-0104).

Sensitive questions and confidentiality

To ensure full confidentiality of the participants’ responses, we made the survey anonymous, and applied the RRT for the sensitive questions about stress and non-work-related activities during working hours. We followed the guidance of Chong et al. (2019) and Chu et al. (2020) [ 18 , 21 ] by implementing the RRT and constructing a covariance matrix for the responses. For details of the RRT procedure and application of RRT, readers may refer to Chong et al. (2019) and Chu et al. (2020) [ 18 , 21 ].

To ensure that the respondents understood the purpose of using the RRT to further protect their privacy and clearly understood how to answer the RRT questions, we also included a brief introduction to the RRT procedures before we asked the RRT questions.

All items in the survey were measured on a seven-point Likert scale. Unless otherwise specified, we provided seven options for each item, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree), and we asked each respondent to pick the option that best described the situation.

Constructs and items

To build the research model, we constructed our survey questions on the basis of seven constructs, with each construct consisting of two to three items. A complete list of items is available in the S1 Table .

Company support

Communication with colleagues and access to technical support are important for enabling a smooth transition to WFH [ 22 ]. Following the work of Sull et al. (2020) [ 22 ], we developed three items to measure company support. A high score indicated strong support from the company for employees who were working from home.

Supervisor trust

When employees work from home, they have little opportunity to meet with their supervisors [ 23 ]. In the absence of supervisors and employees working face-to-face, supervisors’ trust in their subordinates is an important contribution to successful WFH [ 24 ]. We used three items to measure supervisor trust, with a high score indicating a high level of supervisors’ trust in their employees during WFH.

Work-life balance

A favorable environment and a healthy balance between working time and personal time could be an advantageous result of WFH [ 25 ]. With reference to Chaiprasit and Santidhirakul (2011) [ 26 ], we developed three items to measure work-life balance during WFH, with a high score indicating a good work-life balance.

On the basis of the existing literature, we developed three items to measure employees’ level of stress: sleep quality [ 27 ], loss of energy [ 28 ], and depressed mood [ 29 ]. A high score indicated a high level of stress during WFH.

For the current study, we modified the three items relating to happiness that were developed by Chaiprasit and Santidhirakul (2011) [ 26 ]. The original items were in a five-point Likert scale, but we converted them into a seven-point Likert scale for measurement consistency in our study. A high score indicated a high level of happiness during WFH.

Non-work-related activities

During WFH, family issues and entertainment activities can distract employees from their work [ 30 ]. Following Ford et al. (2020) and Javed et al. (2019) [ 31 , 32 ], we developed two items referring to these two possible distractions to measure the respondents’ non-work-related activities and we used a seven-point scale, ranging from 1 (never) to 7 (very many times), to quantify the respondents’ engagement in non-work-related activities [ 33 ]. A high score indicated a high frequency of conducting non-work-related activities during working hours when working from home.

Work productivity

We adopted the top three factors from the Endicott Work Productivity Scale [ 34 ] as items for measuring work productivity. The items were originally in a five-point scale, ranging from 1 (“never”) to 5 (“almost always”), but we modified the wording to adapt the scale to our context on WFH and our seven-point Likert scale approach. A high score indicated a high level of perceived productivity during WFH.

Research model and hypotheses

Wfh environment and psychological well-being.

Employees have had no choice but to work from home when their companies or government policies have required it in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. For WFH to be successful, company support is necessary in three areas. First, some employees have insufficient equipment for WFH, and some may lack sufficient knowledge of the use of telecommunication technology [ 35 ]. Companies need to support their employees by providing them with the necessary equipment [ 36 ] and training them in the use of new technology [ 37 ]. Second, to avoid any impact of WFH on employees’ home time, companies have to set clear guidelines for distinguishing between work time and home time [ 38 ]. Third, companies have to decide when to start WFH and when to resume the normal working mode, and then they have to give their employees sufficient notice about the need to switch modes. We expected that company support during WFH would enhance job happiness [ 39 ] and would moderate the stresses from work and family. Therefore, we developed the following hypotheses:

  • Hypothesis 1a : Company support will negatively affect employees’ stress when they are working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Hypothesis 1b : Company support will positively affect employees’ happiness when they are working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As we have already noted, employers and employees do not see each other face-to-face in the WFH working environment. Thus, on one hand, employees have to show their employers that they are self-disciplined in completing their tasks on time and maintaining the expected quality of work [ 40 ] and, on the other hand, employers have to trust their employees that they have already tried their best in working on their assigned tasks [ 41 ]. In fact, some previous literature has mentioned that trust is the most critical factor in making WFH a success [ 42 ]. Therefore, we expected that supervisors’ trust in their subordinates would be important in maintaining employees’ happiness and reducing their stress on work [ 43 ]. Correspondingly, we developed the following hypotheses:

  • Hypothesis 2a : Supervisor trust will be negatively related to employees’ stress level when the employees are working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Hypothesis 2b : Supervisor trust will be positively related to employees’ happiness when the employees are working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A previous study of managers and fitness trainers discovered that loss of work-life balance could potentially boost the level of work-related stress because the workers spent extra time on work and did not have sufficient time for other life matters [ 44 ]. The association between a poor work-life balance and perceived job stress, which is caused by conflict between one’s job and other life activities, was further confirmed in a previous study on Australian academics [ 45 ]. The researchers explained that difficulty in maintaining work-life balance caused employees to feel additional stress. Moreover, research by Haar et al. (2014) [ 46 ] revealed that work-life balance was negatively related to depression across seven cultures in Asia, Europe, and Oceania, whereas work-life balance was positively associated with job and life satisfaction. Another study on healthcare employees also discovered a positive relationship between work-life balance and job satisfaction [ 47 ]. In addition, Fisher (2003) [ 44 ] found that having a good work-life balance could minimize the interference between employees’ work life and their personal life, thus allowing them to maintain their job engagement and family involvement at the same time, and fostering greater happiness in their work. Thus, we formulated the following two hypotheses:

  • Hypothesis 3a : Work-life balance will be negatively related to employees’ stress level when they are working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Hypothesis 3b : Work-life balance will be positively related to employees’ level of happiness when they are working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Psychological well-being, non-work-related activities, and productivity

Previous studies have revealed the causal relationship that increased stress leads to a reduction in employees’ productivity [ 48 – 50 ]. Indeed, chronic stress can have several negative effects on employees, including insomnia, concentration difficulty, and increased risk of depression, all of which are likely to reduce productivity.

Some employees may choose to conduct non-work-related activities (e.g., non-work-related computing) while at work [ 33 ]. In our context, non-work-related activities are not referring to necessary activities such as going to the washroom or having a short break. We are considering situations in which an employee chooses to conduct non-work-related activities during work hours even if he or she could do those activities later. The reasons for conducting non-work-related activities during work hours are varied. Some studies have suggested that non-work-related activities can be caused by resistance and lack of management [ 51 , 52 ]. If an employee has a negative impression of the company or of management, that worker will have a low level of working engagement. In other words, a stressful working environment or management style can generate negative feelings in employees, and those negative feelings may motivate them to do something unrelated to their work during work hours. Accordingly, we formulated Hypotheses 4a and 4b as follows:

  • Hypothesis 4a : Employees’ stress level will be negatively related to their work productivity when they are working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Hypothesis 4b : Employees’ stress level will be positively related to employees’ participation in non-work-related activities during working hours when they are working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In contrast, happiness can have a positive impact on employees’ productivity. Under a classic piece rate setting, happier individuals have greater productivity than less happy individuals do, no matter whether the happiness derives from long-term or short-term events [ 53 ]. If employees think that they can achieve happiness by performing better at work, they will work harder for that reinforcement [ 54 ]. Therefore, the following hypothesis was also included:

  • Hypothesis 5 : Employees’ happiness will be positively related to their work productivity when they are working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moreover, employees may have difficulty in concentrating on their work when they are working from home because of the lack of an organizational climate and in response to interruptions from family members [ 55 ]. In particular, employees who have children need to shoulder extra child care duties because of school closures [ 56 , 57 ]. At the same time, a feeling of insecurity because of rising numbers of COVID-19 cases also can distract employees [ 10 ], perhaps promoting them to conduct non-work-related activities during working hours at home to drive themselves out from the feeling of insecurity. Two major types of non-work-related activities are (1) activities fulfilling some demand in one’s life, such as caring for children, doing housework, or other activities that the person cannot escape when working from home; and (2) entertainment activities, such as playing video games and sports during working hours [ 31 , 32 ]. Some previous research has suggested that conducting non-work-related activities at work, such as using the Internet for personal purposes in the workplace, can affect job performance [ 52 , 58 ]. Hence, the final hypothesis we postulated was as follows:

  • Hypothesis 6 : Employees’ participation in non-work-related activities during working hours will be negatively related to their work productivity when they are working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Statistical analysis

We tested our hypotheses using structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS statistical software. The main purpose of using SEM in our analysis was to test the hypotheses about the constructs that we determined from the observed items we collected from the respondents [ 59 ].

To ensure that our model had a consistent construction, we analyzed the convergent validity and discriminant validity of the constructs by considering their Cronbach’s alpha values, average variance extracted (AVE) values, and square root of AVE values, on the respective constructs and the item loadings. Cronbach’s alpha measures the internal consistency of constructs [ 60 ]. The average variance extracted provides the average of variation explained by a construct [ 61 ].

Moreover, we assessed the model fit using (1) absolute fit indexes, including the goodness-of-fit index (GFI) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), and (2) incremental fit indexes, including the comparative fit index (CFI) and the normed fit index (NFI) [ 62 ].

After confirming that the model was consistent and had a good fit, we examined the model by SEM. We then calculated the significance of each path using a two-tailed t -test to test the cause and effect relationships among the constructs.

Model consistency

We list the summary statistics, including the mean and standard deviation of each item, the item loadings, and the Cronbach’s alpha of each construct in Table 2 . The correlations between constructs, average variances extracted (AVEs), and the square roots of the AVEs are listed in Table 3 . The Cronbach’s alpha of each construct was above the benchmark value of acceptable reliability 0.7 [ 63 ], thus suggesting a good internal consistency of each construct. In order to ensure that each item represented its construct, each item needed to have a loading larger than 0.4 [ 64 , 65 ]. All of the item loadings in our research exceeded 0.4, and the AVE value for each construct was larger than 0.5 (except one, which was 0.5), thus demonstrating that the items satisfied the requirements for convergent validity [ 66 , 67 ]. In addition, the square root of the AVE of each construct was larger than its correlations with all of the other constructs [ 67 ] meaning that the discriminant validity was at an acceptable level.

The diagonal elements represent the square root of the average variance extracted (AVE). COM is the company support, SUT is the supervisor trust, WLB is the work-life balance, STR is stress, and HAP is happiness, NWA is non-work-related activities, and WKP is the participant’s work productivity.

Model goodness of fit

The cut-off criteria of a good model fit are: RMSEA < 0.06, and GFI, CFI, and NFI ≥ 0.9 [ 68 – 71 ]. In this case, the study’s model demonstrated a satisfactory fit (RMSEA = 0.061; CFI = 0.947; GFI = 0.919; NFI = 0.922).

Testing of hypotheses

We report the standardized path coefficients and the significance of each of the hypotheses in Fig 1 . Based on a significance level of 5%, four hypotheses were significant and six were not significant.

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N.S. represents not significant. *** indicates a p -value less than 0.01. The numbers to the right of the hypotheses’ numbers are the standardized path coefficients.

The research findings supported Hypotheses H3a, H3b, H4b, and H5. Hypothesis H3a was supported ( β = -0.222, p < 0.001), indicating that work-life balance was negatively related to the employees’ stress level when those employees were working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hypothesis H3b was also supported ( β = 0.750, p < 0.001), indicating that employees’ work-life balance was positively related to their happiness when those employees were working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hypothesis H4b was supported ( β = 0.626, p < 0.001), indicating that employees’ stress level was positively related to the employees’ participation in non-work-related activities during working hours when those employees were working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hypothesis H5 was supported ( β = 0.418, p < 0.001), indicating that employees’ happiness had a positive effect in promoting their work productivity.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many employees who were accustomed to working in the office and did not have previous WFH experience to do their work from home during part of the pandemic, because of social distancing or lockdown policies. In this research, we sought to investigate the effects that switching to WFH in response to the COVID-19 pandemic had on employees’ psychological well-being and, by extension, on their work productivity. We applied the stress mindset theory to study the relationships between three stress relievers (company support, supervisor trust, and work-life balance) on the positive and negative sides of employees’ psychological well-being (happiness versus stress), which in turn affected their job performance (productivity and non-work-related activities during working hours) when they were working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, among the three stress relievers we studied, work-life balance is the only reliever that have influenced on the employees’ psychological well-being. At the same time, this reliever has a positive effect on one’s psychological well-being by promoting happiness and relieving stress. Our research findings also suggest that when employees feel happy in their WFH arrangements, their work productivity increases. Surprisingly, when the employees encountered stress in their WFH arrangements, they still maintained their work productivity, but at the same time, they participate more in non-work-related activities to relieve their stress. The good news is that their non-work-related activities did not affect their work productivity. Our study takes the lead in developing a research model that shapes the relationship between employees’ WFH environment and their psychological well-being and performance in relation to sudden and forced WFH during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a methodological contribution, our study adopted the modified randomized response technique to ask the sensitive questions involved in the study, including queries about the employees’ negative psychological well-being status and their engagement in non-work-related activities. We provided extra protection to their privacy by using this survey method, so as to encourage them to provide truthful responses when answering such sensitive questions. Management may wish to consider adopting the same methodology in an effort to collect honest responses when sensitive questions are involved in the workplace.

Regarding the effect of stress relievers on psychological well-being, we found that having a healthy work-life balance promotes happiness and also relieves stress. However, WFH does not imply an improvement in work-life balance, especially when the employees do not have a suitable environment to work. Employees should have a private workspace, which allows access to a strong and stable Internet connection, and has sufficient equipment to carry out their work at home. If employees encounter difficulties when they are working from home, management should provide the employees with flexible arrangements and alternative approaches to work. For example, if an employee does not have a comfortable environment to work, management may arrange a private space or room in the office for the employees given that a proper social distance is maintained.

As is the case in other fast-paced metropolises, Hong Kong has long followed the standard practice of employees working in a formal office environment and offering them no flexible working options [ 72 ]. During the pandemic, when the employees are allow to work from home, some companies have also set strict rules, such as requiring staff to stay at home during working hours or to answer calls from supervisors within three tones. However, a blurred boundary between work space and home space can make it difficult for employees to set a clear line of separation between their work and their home life [ 73 ]. Under a work-life balance working approach, it is assumed that employees can reserve enough time to handle non-work-related life issues and activities while managing their work tasks. Although some previous studies have suggested that non-work-related activities in the workplace affect work productivity [ 52 , 58 ], our research findings did not support that argument in regard to WFH. In other words, performing non-work-related activities during work hours at home does not necessarily appear to impact work productivity. In fact, when employees are feeling burned-out, they could relieve stress via such non-work-related activities and hence maintain their work engagement. For example, at the time when use of the Internet was just emerging in the workplace, Internet recreation in the workplace was found to make employees more creative [ 74 ] and help employees to become accustomed to the new and advanced systems [ 75 ].

Therefore, management may wish to offer their employees a flexible working hour to help the employees to meet their needs when they are working from home [ 57 ]. Management could also encourage employees to set boundaries, as long as the committed working hours per week are achieved, thereby enabling them to secure the balance between their work and home life. Feeling happy, satisfied, and enthusiastic when working from home can help workers maintain a high level of productivity [ 76 ].

Limitations and future research

The present study had certain limitations. First, the significance of the research findings is dependent on the reliability of self-reports. To minimize bias, in this study we attempted to collect the most representative responses, including through application of the RRT for sensitive questions and through use of an anonymous, web-based survey, as well as through the choice of highly diverse participants. A pretest and pilot test were also conducted before the actual survey, to ensure the quality of the study. Second, this study was based on 500 employees in Hong Kong, a group that certainly cannot represent the worldwide population. In addition, the working and living environments in Hong Kong may be significantly different from those in other regions or countries. Additionally research among more heterogeneous samples will be needed to test the research model.

Conclusions

Although managers are trying their best to maintain their employees’ work productivity at the same level as that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is also important for them to maintain a good balance for their employees between work and life and provide flexibility in their working time and arrangements. Our research findings suggest that a healthy balance between work and home life makes employees feel happier, and in turn has a significant effect on them maintaining a good level of work productivity when they are required to switch to WFH. Meanwhile, an imbalance between work and life would have a negative impact on employees’ psychological well-being, spurring them to carry out non-work-related activities during working hours. Interestingly, those non-work-related activities apparently do not influence WFH employees’ work productivity. We conclude that balance is the key to successful implementation of sudden and forced WFH during the COVID-19 pandemic and achieving a smooth transition from working at the office to working from home.

Supporting information

Suffixes with–S and–U indicate that the items are sensitive questions and are paired with unrelated questions.

Funding Statement

This work was partially supported by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology research grant “Big Data Analytics on Social Research” (grant number CEF20BM04). The funding recipient was MKPS. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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Lessons from the pandemic: The trouble with working from home

by University of Montreal

work from home

Remember when COVID-19 hit, and suddenly everyone was working from home? Well, a team of researchers in Montreal and Paris decided to dig deeper into how this shift affected office workers during the pandemic.

Led by Université de Montréal industrial-relations professor Marie-Colombe Afota, they followed 716 employees of a large global financial company in the U.S. and Europe over six months, from September 2020 to March 2021.

Published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology , the study surveyed people who worked at home at least three days a week and for whom such "high-intensity telecommuting" was something new.

Afota and her colleagues were particularly interested in examining the impact of intensive remote work on workers' sense of belonging over time, as well as how fluctuations in feelings of connectedness with colleagues influenced workers' psychological well-being and their perception of the meaningfulness of their work.

They found that, sure enough, as time went on, the office workers started feeling less connected to each other. The feeling of being part of a team and being able to shoot the breeze by the water cooler—all that started to fade as people spent more time away from their office.

"One important finding of the research is that while technologies and telecommuters' devices can facilitate seamless virtual interactions, physical encounters remain essential for cultivating a robust sense of belonging, a fundamental inner human need crucial for overall well-being," said Afota, describing what the participants reported.

"And we found that declines in belongingness over time correlate with diminishing perceptions of meaningfulness, highlighting the pivotal role of relationships in shaping people's perceptions of the worth and value of their job," said Afota, who did the study with colleagues in psychology and management at Université du Québec à Montreal and the ESCP Business School, in France.

Burnout also an issue

All this disconnect and questioning led to another big issue for those in the study: emotional exhaustion , a core component of burnout.

"Our findings suggest that as people felt more and more disconnected, they also started feeling more tired and worn out," said Afota. "The emotional toll of being away from the office and missing out on those personal connections increasingly weighed on them."

Perhaps not surprisingly, employees who especially enjoyed the company of their coworkers before the pandemic struggled more with working remotely.

"It's like they were trying so hard to keep those connections alive virtually, but it just wasn't the same," Afota said. "So they ended up feeling even more isolated and disconnected."

What can companies learn from all this? First they need to make sure their employees still feel like they're part of a team, even when they're working from their kitchen table, the researchers argue.

That might mean setting up virtual hangouts or finding ways for people to get together in person once in a while.

And companies also need to keep an eye on how their staff are doing emotionally. If people are feeling disconnected and worn out, it's going to impact their work in the long run, the researchers point out.

"Overall, our research suggests that workers don't acclimate to intensive remote work," said Afota." Therefore, organizations should likely consider adopting hybrid remote work approaches and prioritize preserving workers' sense of belonging."

Provided by University of Montreal

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Five things to do around Boston, Feb. 19-25

Unlock your inner scientist at mit, meet abraham lincoln, and more..

A drawing of a microscope set on a pinkish background.

Monday to Sunday

Scope it Out

Take part in scientific workshops and educational activities at MIT Museum during school vacation week. Offerings include microscope labs, classes on wiring circuits, and gallery tours, as well as family workshops (for an additional fee) on artificial intelligence ethics and origami. Activities free with museum admission: $18 adults, $10 youth, free for ages 5 and younger. Register at mitmuseum.mit.edu .

Witness history brought to life through Steve Wood’s first-person historical interpretation, A Visit with President Lincoln, hosted at Concord Museum. Wood dons a stovepipe hat to tell the story of Abraham Lincoln through a recitation of the Gettysburg Address and reflections on Lincoln’s life. 1 p.m. Free with museum admission: $15 adults, $12 seniors/students. concordmuseum.org

Advertisement

Begins Tuesday

Lights, Camera, Action

Celebrate the return of the MFA’s Boston Festival of Films from Iran. The lineup includes Terrestrial Verses, which explores cultural, religious, and institutional constraints; A Revolution on Canvas, an in-depth look at a censored artist; and Sundance award-winning The Persian Version, a comedy about life as an Iranian American. With English subtitles. Through March 2. Find info and tickets ($15 adults; museum admission separate fee) at mfa.org .

Starts Wednesday

Magical Memories

Step into a fairy tale adventure with Disney on Ice: Magic in the Stars, featuring stories and characters from Frozen II, Raya and the Last Dragon, Toy Story, and more. The show will run at TD Garden through February 25. Showtimes vary. Tickets start at $15. disneyonice.com

Saturday-Sunday

Blast into the past with The Simon & Garfunkel Story, a theatrical portrayal based on the famed 1960s musical duo, during a two-night show at Emerson Colonial Theatre. The show features hits such as “Mrs. Robinson” and “The Sound of Silence,” with a live ensemble and vintage-inspired screen projections. Showtimes vary. Tickets, from $39, at emersoncolonialtheatre.com .

Share your event news. Send information on Boston-area happenings at least three weeks in advance to [email protected] .

Politics latest: Accusations against Starmer 'complete garbage'; Speaker 'probably safe' in role

Rishi Sunak has joined the legion of Tory and SNP MPs who have criticised the Commons Speaker over his handling of votes on a ceasefire in Gaza, but a no confidence motion in him appears to be petering out. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has denied applying undue pressure on him.

Thursday 22 February 2024 21:20, UK

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  • Gaza vote chaos explained - and why Speaker's clinging on
  • PM criticises handling of vote  |  Starmer denies Labour threats
  • 'Complete garbage' to suggest Labour leader pressured Speaker
  • 67 MPs sign no confidence motion  |  How Speaker can be ejected
  • Beth Rigby: Growing sense that Speaker is probably safe
  • Sky News Daily: What damage has Gaza vote chaos done?
  • Live reporting by Ben Bloch and (earlier) Charlotte Chelsom-Pill

News is moving fast here in Westminster as the Speaker faces pressure after yesterday's chaos in the Commons over the Gaza ceasefire votes.

This post has the very latest figure for how many MPs have signed a no-confidence motion in Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

Context: It's important to note this early day motion won't necessarily force Sir Lindsay out.

He is not bound to resign if a certain number of MPs back it and there is unlikely to be a debate on it.

Rather, the EDM is being used as a mechanism by his critics to show the strength of feeling in parliament after what happened yesterday with the Gaza ceasefire votes.

Sir Lindsay sparked outrage among SNP and Tory MPs when he selected a Labour amendment to the SNP's motion.

Convention dictates that only the government can amend an opposition motion, but Sir Lindsay opted to choose Labour's amendment as well as the government's.

Scroll down for more detailed updates and the latest reaction and analysis from our team of correspondents.

By Jenness Mitchell , Scotland reporter

Scotland's first minister has been urged to help in the campaign for an independent review into the murder of a woman killed by her boyfriend while he was out on bail.

Christopher McGowan, 28, tortured and strangled mother-of-one Claire Inglis at her flat in Stirling on 28 November 2021.

During the beating, he burned his 28-year-old victim with a lighter and jammed a wet wipe down her throat.

Ms Inglis sustained 76 injuries in the fatal attack, which left her with bleeding inside her skull and extensive injuries to her neck.

A court heard the pair's relationship was "new".

Read more below:

The Sky News live poll tracker - collated and updated by our Data and Forensics team - aggregates various surveys to indicate how voters feel about different political parties.

Labour is still sitting comfortably on a roughly 19-point lead, averaging at 44% in the polls, and the Tories on 25.2%.

In third are the Lib Dems on 9.7%, followed by Reform on 9.2%.

The Green Party stands at 6.3%, and the SNP on 3.2%.

See the latest update below - and you can read more about the methodology behind the tracker  here .

Parents in England who have lost a baby early in a pregnancy can now receive a certificate to recognise their loss.

Those who experience a loss within the first 24 weeks of a pregnancy can receive the document as part of the government's new baby loss certificate scheme.

The government says the scheme has been introduced to formally recognise the devastating impact of losing a child so early on during pregnancy.

Babies stillborn before 24 weeks do not need to be officially registered, and campaigners say this has left some parents feeling ignored.

The new certificates, which are not compulsory, will be official but not legal documents.

They say dogs are a "man's best friend" - but when it comes to pets and politics, things can get complicated.

Newly-released documents show US President Joe Biden's dog, Commander, bit Secret Service agents at least 24 times before the German Shepherd was banished from the White House.

And it got the Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge  thinking about other political animals on the world stage…

That concludes tonight's edition of Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge - scroll down for all the key moments and highlights.

If you ask voters who Sir Keir Starmer is and what matters to him personally, many might say they don't know.

The Labour leader is a man who does not tend to emote in speeches or on television, and he often appears uncomfortable talking about himself and his background.

But he gave unprecedented access for a new biography to Tom Baldwin , a former senior Labour adviser who is one of our Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge  panellists this evening.

Amid the trauma, the family struggles, and his internal demons, Mr Baldwin summarises our potential next PM as someone who is "essentially exceptionally normal".

Watch the full insight and analysis here:

Next on Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge , we are looking at the government's expansion of childcare provision.

The policy was intended to make childcare more affordable, and more than 100,000 applications have already been submitted. It will be rolled out to babies from nine months in September.

But providers warn that the funding will not be enough to cover costs and risks putting them out of business, as the sector struggles with food and energy inflation, as well as staff shortages.

Our political correspondent Tamara Cohen  explores whether the scheme will backfire:

Barely a week after a Jewish charity revealed there has been an "explosion of hate" - today, we're being told incidents of Islamophobia are at record highs.

Tell Mama - which describes itself as the leading agency on measuring anti-Muslim hate - says abuse and attacks have more than tripled in the four months since the Israel-Hamas war began.

Our chief North of England correspondent Greg Milam reports on this rise:

The Labour leader has been accused of threatening the Speaker of the House of Commons in order to ensure a debate and vote on his party's Gaza ceasefire amendment.

There have been reports Sir Keir Starmer told Sir Lindsay Hoyle the threats to his MPs were so serious, they would be at risk if his party's amendment was not selected.

Sir Keir has "categorically" denied threatening Sir Lindsay Hoyle, saying he "simply urged" the Commons Speaker to have "the broadest possible debate" by putting a number of options in front of MPs ( more here ).

Our panellists on Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge  - Conservative Home founder Tim Montgomerie and former senior Labour adviser Tom Baldwin - had something of a heated debate on who did what.

Watch their exchange below:

Tory MP Danny Kruger insists Sir Keir Starmer influenced the Speaker's decision to overturn procedure yesterday, which led to the chaos in the Commons.

He tells Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge : "Keir Starmer was locked in a room with the Speaker urging him to take a decision in favour of the Labour Party, which is indeed what happened.

"So listen, it might be that there's an innocent explanation. I look forward to hearing.

"I think Keir Starmer has a lot of questions to answer."

On the Speaker himself, Mr Kruger says his position is now "very difficult to maintain", but adds: "I hope that he'll be able to restore confidence in his position and in his chair.

"He is a good man and I think he wants to be an impartial Speaker. He wasn't yesterday. It's an incredibly serious thing."

He says he does not "get into the business of calling for resignations", despite having signed the motion declaring no confidence in the Speaker.

"I think he really now needs to demonstrate why he did what he did, how he's going to act impartially in future if he stays in the role," he says.

He says his "expectation" is the Speaker will remain in post, saying: "I'm happy with that because I think he is a decent man."

But he says yesterday "was very, very serious" and he must "give assurance" that he will "ensure his impartiality […] particularly in an election year".

Next on Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge , we are hearing from Tory MP Danny Kruger who has signed the motion declaring no confidence in Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

He says Labour standing by him is "pretty inexplicable" (see previous two posts for Labour's position).

On the Speaker, Mr Kruger says he has "great sympathy personally" for Sir Lindsay, describing him as a "very good man".

He goes on: "I think he did what he did yesterday in good faith, more or less. He certainly is really concerned about the security of MPs, which I'm pleased about.

"The fact is, though, he caved in to pressure from Keir Starmer and changed the Commons' procedure in order to favour one party over another. That in itself is bad."

But the key problem, he says, is that the reason he gave was fear of political violence against MPs, and he suspects Sir Keir Starmer made that case to him.

"If he was concerned about the threats of violence, which of course are real, we should be considering the security that's available for MPs.

"We should not be changing the processes of the House of Commons - that is literally allowing the mob to rule our democracy."

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