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| Periods Don’t Stop for Pandemics, So She Brings Pads to Women in Need | Periods Don’t Stop for Pandemics, So She Brings Pads to Women in Need |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| — Dana Marlowe, founder and executive director of the nonprofit I Support the Girls | — Dana Marlowe, founder and executive director of the nonprofit I Support the Girls |
| [In Her Words is available as a newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.] | [In Her Words is available as a newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.] |
| Dana Marlowe was preparing her family’s home for quarantine, stocking up on food and school supplies, when she received an unexpected phone call: Would she trade a box of tampons for 36 homemade matzo balls? | Dana Marlowe was preparing her family’s home for quarantine, stocking up on food and school supplies, when she received an unexpected phone call: Would she trade a box of tampons for 36 homemade matzo balls? |
| Her friend making the request was desperate. She had scoured all the pharmacies in her neighborhood for tampons and pads, but the shelves were picked clean. | Her friend making the request was desperate. She had scoured all the pharmacies in her neighborhood for tampons and pads, but the shelves were picked clean. |
| For Marlowe, who runs the nonprofit I Support the Girls, which collects donations of feminine hygiene products and bras for shelters, prisons and people in need, the plea set off alarm bells. | For Marlowe, who runs the nonprofit I Support the Girls, which collects donations of feminine hygiene products and bras for shelters, prisons and people in need, the plea set off alarm bells. |
| It was clear that pandemic panic shopping was already causing shortages of menstrual products. | It was clear that pandemic panic shopping was already causing shortages of menstrual products. |
| Marlowe received over 600 emails from individuals around the country requesting donations because they couldn’t find tampons and pads in their local stores; while social service workers in California, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C., said they too were seeing women struggle with feminine hygiene needs. | Marlowe received over 600 emails from individuals around the country requesting donations because they couldn’t find tampons and pads in their local stores; while social service workers in California, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C., said they too were seeing women struggle with feminine hygiene needs. |
| And the women hardest hit, Marlowe realized, would be those who had just lost their jobs and were straining to make ends meet. While the wealthy can stockpile goods, people who live paycheck to paycheck cannot. | And the women hardest hit, Marlowe realized, would be those who had just lost their jobs and were straining to make ends meet. While the wealthy can stockpile goods, people who live paycheck to paycheck cannot. |
| “Periods don’t stop for pandemics,” Marlowe said. “And in times of disasters, like global pandemics, it’s easy to overlook the basic essentials folks need for their dignity.” | “Periods don’t stop for pandemics,” Marlowe said. “And in times of disasters, like global pandemics, it’s easy to overlook the basic essentials folks need for their dignity.” |
| Just as the pandemic has disrupted work, school and social routines, so hoarding has interrupted the supply of menstrual products. Those who can afford to hoard have done so, leaving women who have lower incomes without supplies. For women who usually rely on free menstrual products — from a school nurse, say — that avenue is now closed. And those who might normally get menstrual products from shelters or social service centers are coming up empty as demand has surged. | Just as the pandemic has disrupted work, school and social routines, so hoarding has interrupted the supply of menstrual products. Those who can afford to hoard have done so, leaving women who have lower incomes without supplies. For women who usually rely on free menstrual products — from a school nurse, say — that avenue is now closed. And those who might normally get menstrual products from shelters or social service centers are coming up empty as demand has surged. |
| This has left organizations scrambling to order in bulk. | This has left organizations scrambling to order in bulk. |
| Erin Lind, program coordinator at a domestic violence shelter in Orange County, Calif., said she recently went online to bulk order tampons and pads and received a frustrating alert: delays in online shipment. Marlowe’s organization pitched in to bridge the gap, sending the shelter nearly 1,500 products last month. | Erin Lind, program coordinator at a domestic violence shelter in Orange County, Calif., said she recently went online to bulk order tampons and pads and received a frustrating alert: delays in online shipment. Marlowe’s organization pitched in to bridge the gap, sending the shelter nearly 1,500 products last month. |
| Marlowe’s organization donated 900,000 menstrual products this March compared with just under 200,000 products in March 2019, and more than any other month in its five-year history. She has also received more requests than ever before from more than 130 organizations and cities. | Marlowe’s organization donated 900,000 menstrual products this March compared with just under 200,000 products in March 2019, and more than any other month in its five-year history. She has also received more requests than ever before from more than 130 organizations and cities. |
| In partnership with the menstrual product company LOLA, Marlowe sent 100,000 supplies to Los Angeles, where the mayor’s office has added 1,600 emergency shelter beds in city recreation centers. She sent more than 2,000 products to the city of Trenton, N.J., which requested them for its women who are homeless. And she donated more than 24,000 products to the Salvation Army National Capital Area Command, which serves Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. | In partnership with the menstrual product company LOLA, Marlowe sent 100,000 supplies to Los Angeles, where the mayor’s office has added 1,600 emergency shelter beds in city recreation centers. She sent more than 2,000 products to the city of Trenton, N.J., which requested them for its women who are homeless. And she donated more than 24,000 products to the Salvation Army National Capital Area Command, which serves Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. |
| Marlowe and her team even heard from international students stranded at American colleges: Last month she sent boxes to a group of young women stuck on campus at George Mason University. | Marlowe and her team even heard from international students stranded at American colleges: Last month she sent boxes to a group of young women stuck on campus at George Mason University. |
| “Normally a municipality or small city thinks of food drives or clothing drives, but the menstrual hygiene products are too often neglected,” said Reed Gusciora, the mayor of Trenton, in an interview. “These products are a right, not a privilege.” | “Normally a municipality or small city thinks of food drives or clothing drives, but the menstrual hygiene products are too often neglected,” said Reed Gusciora, the mayor of Trenton, in an interview. “These products are a right, not a privilege.” |
| It’s especially important because women might feel ashamed requesting supplies, said Angela Soriano, a volunteer and donation drive manager at the Salvation Army in the D.C. area. | It’s especially important because women might feel ashamed requesting supplies, said Angela Soriano, a volunteer and donation drive manager at the Salvation Army in the D.C. area. |
| “It’s uncomfortable to talk about,” Soriano said, which is why some centers she works with distribute menstrual products whether they’re requested or not. A lot of these women are “embarrassed to ask.” | “It’s uncomfortable to talk about,” Soriano said, which is why some centers she works with distribute menstrual products whether they’re requested or not. A lot of these women are “embarrassed to ask.” |
| Soriano has spent recent days coordinating donations for the young women who rely on social service programs that are now at risk of being canceled because of the coronavirus, like the Salvation Army’s summer camp. “If that camp doesn’t happen, what’s going to happen to those young girls getting their periods for the first time?” she wondered. | Soriano has spent recent days coordinating donations for the young women who rely on social service programs that are now at risk of being canceled because of the coronavirus, like the Salvation Army’s summer camp. “If that camp doesn’t happen, what’s going to happen to those young girls getting their periods for the first time?” she wondered. |
| Compounding the issue of access is price gouging. | Compounding the issue of access is price gouging. |
| Marni Sommer, a professor of sociomedical sciences at Columbia School of Public Health, recently received a call from a student telling her that she had seen the price for tampons in her local store jump $3 this month. In Alabama, the state attorney general teamed up with eBay to crack down on the inflated costs of essential goods like tampons. | Marni Sommer, a professor of sociomedical sciences at Columbia School of Public Health, recently received a call from a student telling her that she had seen the price for tampons in her local store jump $3 this month. In Alabama, the state attorney general teamed up with eBay to crack down on the inflated costs of essential goods like tampons. |
| Updated June 5, 2020 | |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| For a lot of families, if it comes down to buying food or buying menstrual products, the latter will be shunted, Sommer said. Aside from the sheer inconvenience of it, when pads and tampons aren’t supplied in shelters, women often turn to using ripped up T-shirts and mattresses, which can carry health risks. | For a lot of families, if it comes down to buying food or buying menstrual products, the latter will be shunted, Sommer said. Aside from the sheer inconvenience of it, when pads and tampons aren’t supplied in shelters, women often turn to using ripped up T-shirts and mattresses, which can carry health risks. |
| To be sure, there’s always an increased need for feminine hygiene products when disasters like hurricanes or other health crises strike. | To be sure, there’s always an increased need for feminine hygiene products when disasters like hurricanes or other health crises strike. |
| But the coronavirus pandemic is unlike previous disasters Marlowe has seen, because the tampon and pad shortage is affecting everyone. | But the coronavirus pandemic is unlike previous disasters Marlowe has seen, because the tampon and pad shortage is affecting everyone. |
| People unaccustomed to scrambling for menstrual supplies are desperately scanning the bare shelves in stores. “Stop hoarding menstrual products!” wrote I Support the Girls in a recent tweet. | People unaccustomed to scrambling for menstrual supplies are desperately scanning the bare shelves in stores. “Stop hoarding menstrual products!” wrote I Support the Girls in a recent tweet. |
| Readers: What product shortages are you seeing in stores or online? Write to us at inherwords@nytimes.com. | Readers: What product shortages are you seeing in stores or online? Write to us at inherwords@nytimes.com. |
| In Her Words is available as a newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. | In Her Words is available as a newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. |