Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Photo Galleries
Tyrone Turner, NPR

Photos: Scenes from across America as COVID-19 restrictions begin to lift

A multi-generational family gather outside around a child.
Cassandra Cast (second from left) and Barbara Arthur (right) traveled to Washington state from Boston and Atlanta, respectively, to meet their grandson for the first time.
Megan Farmer/KUOW

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Jabs in arms. Masks coming off — hesitantly for some, more vigorously for others. Gatherings with family and friends. Dining in restaurants, traveling, even returning to special spaces and places reopening from pandemic restrictions.

The coronavirus still infects and kills, but the decline in cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. over the last several months has been precipitous. Risks still remain from dangerous new variants, but as vaccination rates steadily tick up, it is beginning to feel as if there is light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.

Over the last several weeks, photographers from NPR member stations fanned out across the nation to help document what this new phase of the pandemic is looking like. They captured moments of caution and joy, exuberance and relief, as COVID-19 restrictions began to lift.

Here is a glimpse of what they saw:

Gallery
16 of 16
Nellie Trnkus, 18, who is graduating from Bethesda Chevy Chase High School in Maryland, and Ahmed Mohmad, who attends Montgomery College, head to the Lincoln Memorial for prom photos. They said they were more comfortable getting together in a small group to celebrate now that vaccines are readily available and rates of infections are going down.
Nellie Trnkus, 18, who is graduating from Bethesda Chevy Chase High School in Maryland, and Ahmed Mohmad, who attends Montgomery College, head to the Lincoln Memorial for prom photos. They said they were more comfortable getting together in a small group to celebrate now that vaccines are readily available and rates of infections are going down.
Tyrone Turner/WAMU
1 of 16
Jeff Rollins with the Mister Softee ice cream truck serves students and families from the Cherrywood neighborhood of Austin, Texas, as they celebrate graduating fifth-graders from Maplewood Elementary School on June 2. See more images on KUT News.
Jeff Rollins with the Mister Softee ice cream truck serves students and families from the Cherrywood neighborhood of Austin, Texas, as they celebrate graduating fifth-graders from Maplewood Elementary School on June 2. See more images on KUT News.
Gabriel C. Pérez/KUT News
2 of 16
Cleveland STEM High School senior Parris Sanjose laughs with classmates before an in-person commencement ceremony on June 15 at Memorial Stadium in Seattle.
Cleveland STEM High School senior Parris Sanjose laughs with classmates before an in-person commencement ceremony on June 15 at Memorial Stadium in Seattle.
Megan Farmer/KUOW

Copyright 2021 WAMU 88.5. To see more, visit WAMU 88.5.