Recruiting in the Time of Coronavirus
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AUTO RACING: NASCAR gets ready to race again Back page EXPRESS YOURSELF Face masks have become a fact MUSIC: Album challenge of life, and they have meanings is all the rage Page 32 beyond just function and fashion FOOD: Re-create the magic Page 20 of theme-park treats Page 25 stripes.com Volume 79, No. 20 ©SS 2020 FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020 $1.00 VIRUS OUTBREAK Claims for jobless aid in US climb to 36 million BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Associated Press WASHINGTON — Nearly 3 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week as the viral outbreak led more companies to slash jobs even though most states have begun to let some businesses re- open under certain restrictions. Roughly 36 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the two months since the coronavirus first forced millions of businesses to close their doors and shrink their workforces, the Labor De- partment said Thursday. Still, the number of first-time Recruiting in the applications has now declined for six straight weeks, suggest- ing that a dwindling number of companies are reducing their payrolls. By historical standards, the lat- est tally shows that the number time of coronavirus of weekly jobless claims remains enormous, reflecting an econo- my that is sinking into a severe downturn. Last week’s pace of Despite deep cuts into numbers, officials say changes likely to stay new applications for aid was still four times the record high that BY COREY DICKSTEIN prevailed before the coronavirus Stars and Stripes struck hard in March. Jobless workers in some states taff Sgt. Riley Krebsbach still makes the same recruiting pitch to sell young Staff Sgt. Elysia Wilson, are still reporting difficulty ap- Americans on the U.S. Army despite the current coronavirus outbreak, but his a production recruiter plying for or receiving benefits. with the 168th Wing, These include freelance, gig and delivery is drastically different. self-employed workers, who be- helps enlist a new came newly eligible for jobless S Face-to-face meetings with potential recruits have been replaced by long hours recruit using a video aid this year. on a computer and smartphone — searching for and chatting with prospects in a safe digital conference call The states that are now easing environment. Instead of working from his Moreno Valley recruiting station in southern April 16 at Eielson lockdowns are doing so in varied Air Force Base, Alaska. California, visiting local high schools and canvassing community events to explain the ways. Ohio has permitted ware- This virtual enlistment houses, most offices, factories, benefits that come with Army service, Krebsbach now posts messages on social media and allowed a new Alaska and construction companies to interviews prospects via video conferencing services from his home. Air National Guard reopen, but restaurants and bars remain closed for indoor sit-down Because of social distancing, recruiters faced a sudden shift to telework and digital recruit to complete their oath of enlistment while service. prospecting, which Krebsbach said was challenging. But it has led them to rethink the art complying with COVID- SEE JOBLESS ON PAGE 10 of recruiting and find innovative ways to connect. The outbreak could have lasting impact 19 safety regulations. on the way the military fills its ranks. Online: Get the latest SHANNON CHACE on the virus outbreak SEE RECRUITING ON PAGE 4 U.S. Air National Guard stripes.com/coronavirus PAGE 2 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Friday, May 15, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EUROPE GAS PRICES EXCHANGE RATES Country Super E10 Super unleaded Super plus Diesel Military rates Switzerland (Franc)............................0.9739 Germany $2.114 $2.520 $2.782 $2.657 Azores -- -- $3.132 -- Euro costs (May 15) ............................. $1.05 Thailand (Baht) ..................................... 32.13 Change in price +6.2 cents +3.6 cents +4.0 cents -0.5 cents Change in price -- -- No change -- Dollar buys (May 15) ........................€0.9028 Turkey (Lira) .........................................6.9648 British pound (May 15) ........................$1.19 (Military exchange rates are those Netherlands -- $3.067 $3.272 $3.333 Belgium -- $2.834 $2.190 $2.252 Japanese yen (May 15) ......................104.00 Change in price -- +1.0 cents +1.3 cents -2.5 cents Change in price -- No change No change No change available to customers at military banking South Korean won (May 15) ..........1,197.00 facilities in the country of issuance Commercial rates U.K. -- $2.430 $2.692 $2.567 Turkey -- -- $2.583 $2.458* for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the Change in price -- +3.6 cents +4.0 cents -0.5 cents Change in price -- -- +4.0 cents -0.5 cents Bahrain (Dinar) ....................................0.3775 Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For British pound .....................................$1.2192 nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., Canada (Dollar) ...................................1.4130 purchasing British pounds in Germany), China (Yuan) ........................................ 7.1002 check with your local military banking PACIFIC GAS PRICES Denmark (Krone) ................................6.9121 facility. Commercial rates are interbank Egypt (Pound) ....................................15.7390 Country Unleaded Super unleaded Super plus Diesel Euro ........................................ $1.0790/0.9268 rates provided for reference when buying Japan -- $2.569 -- $2.449 South Korea $1.939 -- $2.599 $2.479 Hong Kong (Dollar) .............................7.7507 currency. All figures are foreign currencies Change in price -- +4.0 cents -- No change Change in price +7.0 cents -- +4.0 cents No change Hungary (Forint) .................................328.68 to one dollar, except for the British pound, Okinawa $1.909 -- -- $2.449 Guam $1.919** $2.319 $2.579 -- Israel (Shekel) .....................................3.5492 which is represented in dollars-to-pound, Change in price +7.0 cents -- -- No change Change in price +5.0 cents +3.0 cents +4.0 cents -- Japan (Yen) ...........................................106.91 and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) Kuwait (Dinar) .....................................0.3094 INTEREST RATES Norway (Krone) .................................10.2551 Philippines (Peso).................................50.59 Prime rate ................................................3.25 * Diesel EFD ** Midgrade Poland (Zloty) ..........................................4.24 Discount rate ..........................................0.25 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...........................3.7572 Federal funds market rate ...................0.05 For the week of May 15-21 Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.4261 3-month bill ............................................. 0.13 South Korea (Won) ......................... 1,233.32 30-year bond ...........................................1.35 WEATHER OUTLOOK FRIDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST FRIDAY IN EUROPE SATURDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 58/50 Kabul 64/50 Seoul 61/57 Baghdad 102/72 Kandahar 86/62 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 63/57 63/59 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 55/35 52/33 70/60 Iwakuni 64/59 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 83/75 Brussels 54/39 Guam 96/78 57/38 Ramstein 69/65 84/80 Lajes, 57/32 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 98/72 92/62 63/59 57/45 61/49 Aviano/ Vicenza 64/58 Naples 74/65 Okinawa Morón 78/74 69/52 Sigonella Rota 86/59 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 95/80 64/55 75/68 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ............40 Classified ......................... 41 Comics ..................38, 42-43 Crossword .............38, 42-43 Faces ............................... 39 Opinion .......................44-45 Sports .........................48-56 Weekend ..................... 17-38 Friday, May 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 3 MIDEAST Burials, shock after Afghan hospital attack BY SHARIF HASSAN his child, with his wife by his side. She AND SUSANNAH GEORGE had given birth minutes before the attack, The Washington Post and both she and the baby girl escaped unharmed. KABUL, Afghanistan — Hajar Sarwari “God has given a second life for my wife was in labor with her second child at a and daughter,” he said. western Kabul maternity ward on Tues- In a statement released Wednesday, Doc- day morning when gunmen shot her twice tors Without Borders said it had “indica- in the abdomen, killing her and her unborn tions” that one of its employees was killed child. and that its health workers were following Sarwari’s family buried her atop a hill up with survivors. under overcast skies on the outskirts of the “Every effort is being made by our med- Afghan capital Wednesday morning, one ical team to follow up on the newborns in day after three gunmen killed 24 people the maternity hospital to ensure the best in a Doctors Without Borders maternity possible care to our patients and to those ward. The baby remained in her womb. injured, to provide psychological care to “There’s no humanity left in this coun- affected staff, and to provide every neces- try,” said Sarwari’s husband, Mohammad sary support to those bereaved,” the state- Hussain Yaqoobi, his speech slow and ment read. halting. He stood near his wife’s grave, At Sarwari’s family home, relatives gath- marked by a simple black headstone and a ered to comfort the grieving and express small mound of upturned earth. “The at- KIANA HAYERI/For The Washington Post their condolences. tackers had no conscience.