COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 6 May

1. How COVID-19 is impacting the globe

2. US private sector employment falls by record 20m in April

US private employers laid off a record 20.2 million workers in April as mandatory business closures in response to the coronavirus pandemic continued to wreak havoc on the world's largest economy.

ADP, which processes payrolls for companies across America, reported earlier today that private sector employment decreased by 20,236,000 jobs from March to April.

These historic job losses - the worst ever recorded by ADP - eclipse the previous record of around 835,000 jobs lost in February 2009 during the financial crisis.

The report sends an ominous signal ahead of the US government’s more comprehensive employment report for April, which will be released on Friday.

3. How governments are communicating online during the COVID-19 crisis

Communication is critical during a health crisis like coronavirus and countries are working to connect with their populations online. A recent UN review found that most (around 86% of its 193 member states) presented information and guidance about COVID-19 on their government websites by 8 April. This is an improvement over March where 40% of countries had no information in place.

4. Why we can't compare countries' coronavirus responses

Looking to make sense of the vast amounts of data generated by the coronavirus crisis? As you do, be careful to avoid comparing one country's numbers to another. Here's just a few reasons why:

5. Here's what post-pandemic travel could look like

How countries respond to post-COVID-19 travel will vary around the globe, explained two authors for the Conversation this week. Small island communities might greet visitors with hazmat suits and require quarantines. Other countries might take a different tack, depending on their population and the spread of the disease at that time.

Likely the days of short international travel will be over, as well as long trips involving stops in multiple countries. Said the authors: "In the absence of universal vaccination, tighter constraints on human mobility will presumably remain in place – perhaps for a long time."

6. Here's what hospitals can teach hotels about life after COVID-19

Hotels might need a mindset shift as lockdowns ease, say experts from Jefferson Health this week in Agenda. They explain that hotels might need to take cues from hospitals, establishing "incident command centres" to respond easily to unexpected problems and instituting protocols for cleaning and health response.

Hotels, say the authors, will need to see themselves as safety companies that provide hospitality services. "It is that kind of promise, delivered through your staff, that will encourage your customers to return."