As coronavirus invades, emergency rooms look to keep people at a safe distance

In a Georgia emergency department, where patient numbers have swollen even as flu season is fading, staffers are being asked to wash off and re-wear single-use face shields because they are in such short supply.

One sleepless ER physician who has worked in trauma centers and jails and during bomb threats said the chaos caused by the coronavirus pandemic makes her frightened to go to work. Other health-care professionals are setting up separate bedrooms at home to isolate themselves and protect their families.