The failure to contain the virus has decimated whole industries — costing thousands of jobs in travel, leisure, dining and entertainment. There are now five million more people unemployed than when Mr. Trump took office in January 2017.
And the recent recovery is showing signs of stalling, as hopes begin to fade that many jobs lost to pandemic would return swiftly. Hundreds of thousands of new jobless claims pour in every week; 2.4 million people have been unemployed for more than six months. Eight million people have slipped into poverty since May, according to researchers at Columbia University.
Millions of students are not taking classes in person, as many of the nation’s largest school districts are still offering remote instruction or a hybrid that combines some in-person schooling with classes from home. And with the United States still suffering one of the worst outbreaks in the world, travelers have found a U.S. passport is not always welcomed anymore.
The nation remains divided — and buffeted by fears of unrest and violence. As Election Day dawned, the sight of plywood being put up over windows from Washington to New York to Los Angeles sent an ominous sign.
Amid that backdrop, both campaigns have sought to set expectations — but not in the way campaigns typically do. The Biden campaign is seeking to remind people that it is highly likely that the winner of the election will not be known tonight, with many key states indicating that releasing official results could take several days. And Mr. Trump has repeatedly made baseless claims seeking to undermine the integrity of the election, with most polls showing him trailing Mr. Biden.
But even in the face of the added strains, there were long lines of eager voters ready to render their final verdict on the race in person, collect their “I voted” stickers and to walk out with the pride of taking part in a democratic process.
— Michael Cooper and Patricia Cohen The New York Times