Professor Lawrence Lau is an economist known for his long academic career at Stanford University, and as the former vice-chancellor of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His new book about the pandemic is co-authored with Yanyan Xiong, and explores the experiences of one country’s response to a new virus. Our Host James Chau spoke to Prof. Lau in the early weeks of the outbreak—and now again, as the pandemic continues to ravage the world.

One of the primary ways to prevent and track the spread of the virus is through testing. However, access to testing around the globe takes unique shapes, and some countries are deploying immense resources to the practice. Recently, Qingdao, China, a port city of 11 million, set up 4,000 testing points and mass-tested the entire city in just 5 days. Our Host James Chau dives into the importance of testing and how China has used testing as a main part of its strategy against the virus.

New York City became the epicenter of the global outbreak earlier this year. When Tony Park, a Korean American restaurateur, sought to create a safe environment for returning customers and staff, he saw a way to provide another service: opening a showroom for protective gear for America’s most populous city. Our Host James Chau meets with Park virtually to discuss his pivot, and the challenges of surviving an economic downturn as a small business owner in NYC.