Pursuing solutions for americas neglected needs. And by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. This is bbc world news america. Im reporting from new york city. Im laura trevelyan. Jobless and homeless, with 33 million americans unemployed, new york subways, a haunting symbol of the impact of the pandemic. Coronavirus once a day after a white house eight tested positive. Mr. Trump says he does not have covid19. Germany is cautiously reopening its economy amid worries about a second wave of infections. Plus, life under lockdown. The story of a person who lives crammed in new york, but a big change is coming. I just committed to cornell. Well, im probably abouto cry. Laura for all of you watching on pbs and around the globe, welcome to bbc world news america. Every thursday, the staggering impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the American Economy is revealed. 3. 2 million americans filed for Unemployment Benefits in the last week. More than 33 Million People have lost their jobs in the last seven weeks. Now the subway here in new york city has become a refuge for the newly homeless. Nick bryant reports. Reporter midnight on the new rk subway. Many of the cities homeless are bedding down for the night above empty carriages. By day, the subway has become a virtual ghost train. Right night, a mobile shelter. Inhe first five carriages we wento, we found people in search orefuge and sleep. Many are newly unemployed. Some laborers who rent rooms by the weak, unable to pay landlords. The covid dispossessed. A lot of Homeless People are afraid to go to shelters because there are so many people there in such confined spaces, they are worried about catching the coronavirus. Inead, they are taking their chances on the subway. The subway can hardly be described a safe. More than 100 members of staff have been killed by the coronavirus. This week, new york did something it has never done before. Conducted upland overnight shut down of a subway system thats always operated aroundtheclock. The aim is to disinfect the carriages. So the nypd has been evicting the homeless. They are closing the subway tonight. We are going to be asking you to off the train. Reporter surety workers and ty officials were on hand to offer help. This is the last stop. You have to step off. Reporter but this woman had no idea where in the city she was. The confusion and anxiety written across her face. The destitute have been amongst new yorks most vulnerable. Over the weekend, to Homeless People were found dead on the subway. Homeless people of right now in new york city have a 50 higher mortality rate from covid19 then housed new yorkers. By not offering people something as simple a hotel room where they can be self isolatg and safe, we are relegating them to die. Reporter it can feel like we are living in another time of, but he can you spare me a dime . . Just as a face mask has become a symbol of the viral contagion, cues have become the market catastrophe. Thiss at a shelter in lower manhattan. Its not just the homeless who are hungry. It is the newly jobless as well. There are folks at this line who in the beginning of march were employed and now they are unemployed. They are trying to figure out how to make endseet. One way is to stand on this line at the bowery mission, pick up a to go meal and make ends meet that way. Reporter back at the subway, the woman we saw turned down the offer of emergency shelter, but took the last train back into manhattan. Others headed out into the night. Poverty has been a propagator of this pandemic. Hardship has been a super spreader. For many a phrase that best describes new yorks life abundant, the city that never sleeps, must now sound like a tot. Taunt. Nick bryant, bbc news, new york. Laura heartbreaking impact of the epidemic on new york city. Lets turn to americas midwest, where missouris republican governor is opening up the state, even as coronavirus cases over there increas the mayor of st. Louis, joins us now. The city has seen over 1300 cases. What has been the impact of this devastating outbreak . Of course, there is a very Serious Health impact on st. Louis and st. Louis families come up but theres also a serious economic impact. I just heard you speaking in your earlier story. So many are unemployed. So many filing for unemployment. When businesses are devastated, workers are devastated. That is the worldwide loop reality ofiving in a worldwide pandemic. Laura you are starting to reopen the city on may 18. Will that hope help unemployment . Perhaps little about 10 days. We are easing open. Just easing open the economy with some opening of restaurants and retail at 25 percent occupancy with social distancing and with masks. So, yes, over time, that will help the economy, but we are very worried about the health of our people, workers, and so we are going at this at a very slow pace. By the time we reopen the economy, a little bit on the 18th of may, we will have been under stayathome order for eight weeks. That is difficult. Laura so what is the mood of people after eight weeks . Are they fed up, frustrated and nervous . Looking forward to mothers day and unable to get a manicure . All of the above. There are people of course that are very concerned about reopening. They dont wanted to go too quickly or too fast. Certainly we dont either. But there are people on the others who want us to get the economy open and going right away. Those are the extremes we have so many issues across the country. We are trying to make the right decisions based on data and science. We are beginning to see in the last week, almost 10 days now, we have seen a decrease in the number of people in the hospital and a decrease in the number of people newly admitted to the hospital, which is important. We lk at statistics regionally here because we know a few miles away as another jurisdiction, but it affects a of us. Laura is it confusing to people though, the governor of missouri saying letget back to work and you are much more cautious in the big cities . I think it is somewhat confusing to people. However, the people of st. Louis are smart. Theynderstand this is a serious situation here in st. Louis, missouri. We have some counties in the state who might only have a couple of cases. We are in a situation like much of the country where one size does not fit all and that is our situation here in st. Louis. Our region has almost two thirds of the cases in the state. Laura thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. Appreciate chatting with you. Laura the president says he will be tested for coronavirus every day after a valley in the west wing tested posive. This is as the Trump Administration is shifting focus from the emergency page of the pandemic to reopening the economy. He is a bbc analyst and was advisor to george w. Bush. Good evening. The president ill get tested every day, but he says nationwide testing isnt necessary. Could he use this as a teachable moment . Good evening. I think he could. It is important for the president of the United States to have a consistent message for the American People. If you are living in a rural area that does not have a high outbreak of the coronavirus, perhaps its not good for you to be tested as consistently. But if you are in new york city, where am, i think a consistent and steady level of testing is important for us to reopening major cities and hubs in the u. S. Laura meanwhile the president s rival, joe biden, is facing Sexual Assault allegations from tara reid. She has just given a major interview. Lets listen to what she has to say. I want to say you and i were there, joe biden. Please step forward and be held accountable. You should not be running on character for the president of the United States. Reporter you want him to withdraw . I wish he would. But he wont. Laura what political impact you think this has, bearing in mind that the president has many such allegations against him as well . A lot of my friends are very worried right now. Democrats rallied behind joe biden because they thought it was the safe choice. They thought a Bernie Sanders candidacy would be a disaster for the party. Now Party Insiders are looking at the situation and saying we dont know what the truth is, we dont know whether he will be fully exonerated. We dont know what will happen between now and the nominating convention late in the summer. What we do know is this. This will continue to be a story that will dog the Vice President s candidacy between now and the election. The question becomes, do the American People look at these allegations and say, there is no fact, no bas in fact, and a fact we dont have any proof this will happen, or do they look at this and say perhaps joe biden is n the honest, scrupulous member of congress foVice President we thought he was. Laura thats the question for the campaign. But for so Many Americans right now, unemployment is an issue. I know that you teach many students. How is it impacting them, this double whammy of the pandemic and unemployment . I have to say, my nyu undergrad students and georgetown graduate studts are both very nervous. We are looking at numbers north of 30 million americans who are unemployed and they are looking at walking out of the doors virtually, with their diplomas, saying what prospect do i have for employment . Do i have any prospects for employment . Sadly, unfortunately, a lot of the answers i have been hearing for my students is rejection letter after rejection. No internships, no good prospect for study work. Im very worried about my students and very worried about my fellow americans who are in a very adverse and difficult time at this point in american history. Laura so true. Ron christie, thank you for being with us. Lets look at germany now, where the country is gradually reopening. Chancellor merkel is allowing all shops to reopen. The Nations Soccer League is getting back on the pitch. There are worries about whether these freedoms could lead to a second wave of infections. Mark urban reports. Dear passengers together against corona, keep distance, cover mouth and nose. Reporter the argumentbout masks here is over. Since late last month, people have been directed to wear them on public transport. Navigating our way around germanys capital city in recent days, we cant help noticing thats just one aspect of a very distinctive approach. This week, the emphasis of German Government policy has shifted from securing public transport to reopening much of what has been shut since midmarch. But those making the decisions are all too aware that if they had off on the wrong track, there is a fresh wave of infections and consequences could be disastrous. This is not only a deeply humanitarian argument, but it is, when i speak in my capacity as minister of the economy, it is also an economic argument. When you have to switch from liberalizing to a shut down again, and two or three times, than it would have disastrous consequenc for the economy. Reporter yesterday, we turned up at 10 00 a. M. As thousands of shops reopened. It was meant to be just smaller businesses, but this Department Store didnt want to missut and mounted a successful legal challenge. Masks are obligatory here, too. But everybody came prepared. The customers seem to have accepted that in the coronavirus world, Retail Therapy has become skier. Across the city at the Max Planck Institute for infection biology, experts are hoping to adapt existing tuberculosis vaccines to help treat covid19. What the scientists here know is that if germany can move faster in relaxing its restrictions because it has been better at getting on top of the virus from the start due to its large testing capability and a certain amount of lot. Luck. But are they now pushing their luck . Much of the economy, 75 , the government says, never locked down. Now that so many shops are reopening, germanys fearsome testing capability is being applied to warn of any increase of infections as a result. Southwest of the capital in potter dam potts dam, they are preparing for the next phase of this. You see that the visitors have safe places here in the exhibition where the sts are. Reporter one third as many visitors at a time and subject to social distancing. Germany then relies on data, masks, and tracing. Filming in recent days, we have been asked many times to fil out forms designed to help Contact Trace if someone develops a virus. You just have to sign that you do not have a temperature. Reporter an app is on its way also, but these methods have helped the country since the start. Congregants also have to give tracing details as they arrived. The pews have been marked for distancing. Hym are notung because doing so might spread viral particles further. But those seeking solace in communal prayer can do so again. Of course, communion is a tricky point, so i disinfect my fingers before every holy communion. Of course, it is at the sk of the one who comes forward, but i think they are fully aware and very disciplined. Reporter this society seems to have faith and its political and scientific leaders to guide them out of thi and to understand that this path contains risk and that they are happy to accept it. So far, at least, germans have had no reason to doubt their governments doctrine. Laura mark urban reporting on germany rolling the dice on reopening. In oth news now from around the world, u. S. Justice department is dropping charges against former u. S. National security advisor michael flynn. , the retired army general pleaded guilty to lying to the fbi about his conversations with a russian diplomat following donald trump selection. The president has long defended flynn and today called him a hero. Protesters in the state of georgia are calling for justi in the killing of an unarmed africanamerican man. He was shot dead when he was out jogging after a confrontation with amer Police Officer and his son. Gregory mcmichael told police he believed mr. Arbery symbol they suspect in recent bergers stations burglaries. Bankruptcy protection, nemas Marcus Neiman marcus becoming the first bankruptcy major retailer. They had already closed more than 40 starts as shopping stays home. This is days after j. Crew filed for bankruptcy as well. You are watching bbc. Still to come on tonights program. In Southern India, a gas leak kills at least 13 people and hundreds more are taken to hospital. Parts of france will begin loosening their lockdown measures next week with shops and schools allowed to reopen. Far stricter measures will remain in the capital that has been designated a red zone. The particular area to watch is the paris area because that is an area where the number of cases is going down and there is still a lot of pressure. And because it is the capital city, all eyes will be on the new movement of people and movement of people coming into force monday. This is amid fears that things could take off again in paris. The rest of the country is green. The difference between green and red is actually pretty marginal. Basically all the country is going to go through this process of deconfinement on monday. The difference being that in the red zones, including paris, some schools will not open. Theres a question in the red zones where the middle schools can open on the following monday. Laura a massive gas leak at a chemical factory in Southern India has killed at least 11 people. Thousands more have been taken ill. The gas spread up to two miles away from the plant. The owner say they are investigating what caused the leak. There are distressing images in this report from our india correspondent. Reporter fear, distress, and a toxic gas filled the air. People stumbled out of their homes. Many struggling to breathe. Families rushed loved ones to hospital any way they could. They were woken up to a nightmare. The police team saw this smog, smoke around. With the help of the loudspeaker , they started announcing and asking the people to come out and move out of this location. Reporter doctors struggle to treat hundreds of patients. Some didnt make it. This woman, a local resident, said she rushed three children to the hospital, but one girl died on the way. Disaster Response Teams went door to door to find anyone who may have fallen unconscious at home. The leak happened at this factory, owned by a south korean company. Legal action is being taken against it. Bbc news, mumbai. Laura now that being confined is difficult, but what if you are sharing a one bedroom apartment in new york city with five people . That is how this 18 yea old has been living but she does have something to look forward to. She shared her story with the bbc online team with the series life under lockdown. As a student, it is definitely stressful. I was finishing up my senior year. Being at home, it is very hard to speak to my parents about the College Process because they dont understand because they never went to college. I never in an undocumented household with five other pele. I live in an undocumented household with five other people. My older sister was the only one working in the household prior to bei quarantined. Now that she is no longer working, theres no money being brought in. That makes it very stressful for my family and i. We dont know when we will have our next meal or whats going to happen when we have to pay certain bills like rent, electricity, things like that. We went out to do laundry, and it was so different to be outside. I have been outside to do groceries and things like that. But this time i went out and it seems so much empty. I filled out a survey for the Bronx Documentary Center because i knew they were doing supplies and food help for people. They reached out to me and yesterday they brought in food. They brought a lot. They brought groceries. I was so happy. My family was so happy. My mom was so grateful. It made me smile just to see her e. One thing i have been thinking a lot about is obviously my family. Even though it can be a headache sometimes, i truly do appreciate the time i have been granted to just spend with them