With people of color making up the majority of essential workers it is very hard for people within these communities to practice adequate social distancing measures. These workers must be present at their jobs regardless of outbreaks in their communities, and some may need to continue working because of their financial circumstances.
“According to Sharrelle Barber of Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health (Philadelphia, PA, USA), “Black communities, Latino communities, immigrant communities, Native American communities—we’re going to bear the disproportionate brunt of the reckless actions of a government that did not take the proper precautions to mitigate the spread of this disease”” Not only are people of color already at a disadvantage due to the pre-existing racial and health inequalities in the United States, they must now also deal with the stress that comes with being essential workers.
Also stated by Sharrelle Barber, “These front-line workers, disproportionately black and brown, then are typically a part of residentially segregated communities, they don’t have that privilege of quote unquote ‘staying at home.’”
Meanwhile “People of color make up the majority of essential workers in food and agriculture (50%) and in industrial, commercial, residential facilities and services (53%)” despite people of color making up only 39.9% of the US population. This puts people of color at much higher risk of contracting and spreading the COVID-19 virus within their communities.
An article posted by NCBI draws attention to the crisis facing essential workers. This article states that “In New York City, 120 employees of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) have died due to COVID-19, and nearly 4000 have tested positive.” In addition to this they state that “Meat processing plants have become hotspots for transmission, with 700 new cases at a Texas plant on May 16.” This is clear proof of the risk facing essential workers across the country.
Additionally the CDC has reported that “on average, racial and ethnic minorities earn less than non-Hispanic whites, have less accumulated wealth, and have lower levels of educational attainment.” All of which are factors preventing individuals from being able to take long periods of time off work for pandemic related reasons.
The CDC also reported that some workplace policies also put individuals at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 such as a lack of paid sick days which would force those with financial instability to keep working despite symptoms of illness. Without the ability to take sick days due to workplace policy or financial circumstances these individuals are at a much higher risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus within their communities as they are unable to take time off work even when showing symptoms of illness.
“On May 6, The Washington Post reported that predominantly black counties had accounted for more than half of all U.S. coronavirus cases and almost 60 percent of coronavirus deaths.” In a separate article published by NCBI it was revealed that “In Milwaukee, WI, three quarters of all COVID-19 related deaths are African American, and in St Louis, MO, all but three people who have died as a result of COVID-19 were African American.” Undoubtedly due to their inability to take time off of work due to their being an essential employee or their inability to survive without a steady source of income.
As stated by Eric Schwartz, the president of Refugees International, “the COVID-19 pandemic is a test of our common humanity that we are at risk of failing.” This fear stems from our inability as a country to adequately protect our most vulnerable citizens and measures must be taken to protect them in the future such as an increase in the amount of paid sick days employees are allotted. Although many countries including some parts of the US have seen a decrease in COVID-19 cases potentially due to social distancing measures we can not ignore the effect this pandemic has had on our most vulnerable populations and changes must be made in order to protect them from future social and economic disasters.
Bibliography
Dorn, A., Cooney, R., & Sabin, M. (2020, April 18). COVID-19 exacerbating inequalities in the US. Retrieved July 25, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7162639/
Goldstein, L. (2020, May 15). Analysis | Black communities have been hit hard by the coronavirus. Some think black Americans are to blame. Retrieved July 25, 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/05/14/black-communities-have-been-hit-hard-by-coronavirus-some-people-think-they-are-blame/
Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups. (n.d.). Retrieved July 25, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/racial-ethnic-minorities.html
The Lancet. (2020, May 23). The plight of essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Retrieved July 26, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7241973/
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: United States. (n.d.). Retrieved July 25, 2020, from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045219
Who are essential workers?: A comprehensive look at their wages, demographics, and unionization rates. (n.d.). Retrieved July 25, 2020, from https://www.epi.org/blog/who-are-essential-workers-a-comprehensive-look-at-their-wages-demographics-and-unionization-rates/
Joseph Tonjes – 8/2/2020
Statistics like this, especially the statistics found in the Washington Post article goes to show how everything in the United States has a racial component to it. Looking at statistics like these make me question if white middle class Americans were the ones most at risk to COVID-19 would the country have had a better reaction to dealing with it. Posts like this I feel also further give support to my arguments about the need the countries need for socialized healthcare as the victims of this pandemic are often the poor who need to work and often cannot afford healthcare. Information like what if found in this post also makes me think about why in America poverty and race are tied together and maybe what needs to be done to change that. As much as people like to act like disease and sickness affects everyone equally when you look at the facts it’s clearly not true.
The clear long-term solution to this issue would be to work towards social and economic equality for all races. However, what seems to be eluding most people is how to fix the disproportionate COVID-19 cases right now, as systemic racism isn’t going to be solved overnight, or even during the pandemic. This is undoubtedly caused by the disadvantages that people of color face on a daily basis, but what can be done to help them in this very moment during the pandemic? Do you believe that essential businesses and other employers could be doing more to protect their workers? If so, what would you change? Is this only about protecting essential workers from COVID-19, or would you suggest financial protection from the virus as well? Who would provide this financial assistance: the federal government, local governments, or the employer? What is your proposed solution to the problems that have been worsened for people of color across the U.S.?
This post was really well thought out and clearly explains the direct tie between economic disparities and the susceptibility to COVID for people of color. America’s long lasting hold on racism has impacted nearly every part of daily life for black people, and COVID certainly follows this. I was wondering if this has an impact on the black lives matter movement? Many politicians are trying to address people’s anger toward how many cops treat black people; but by not also addressing how COVID is impacting people of color, will there be a disastrous outcome? On another note, with OSHA not enforcing strict work safety at meat processing plants, it’s probable that many more will be infected. But, since many people of color work in the informal sector, do you believe there will be a way to help enforce social distancing or allow for sick leave, or could we see cases in these areas for years?
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