The inequality of coronavirus

Not everyone advocating for businesses to reopen are CEOs sitting on billions like Elon Musk. For small business owners across the country, not being able to reopen their business could mean bankruptcy or foreclosure. Despite Congress passing a stimulus package in late March, there is very little aid being provided to citizens as compared to other countries. In the U.K. and Denmark, workers are receiving upwards of 70% of their salaries, in monthly payments instead of the one time check that most Americans received. Federal paycheck protection programs are providing money for small businesses to pay their workers and debts like rent, but this money is really a Band-Aid solution for many establishments. It’s inevitable that they will have to reopen at some point, and will likely be turning less profit due to government limits on customer capacity.

Several states are now in the process of reopening businesses, and Gov. Gavin Newsom has indicated that he plans to move California into the third phase of his plan soon, which includes the reopening of some businesses like nail salons, gyms and barbershops, according to ABC7. Even though it’s unrealistic to think that businesses can remain closed forever, the harsh reality is that white collar workers will have far more options to continue sheltering in place to avoid contracting the coronavirus, while minimum wage workers who are employed at places like this will have no choice but to return to work.

The New York Times is predicting that the coronavirus will cause a phenomenon known as a “Pandemic-Inequality Feedback Loop” which means that the less socioeconomically advantaged will become more susceptible to the virus because they have to go to work and may not have as much access to health care or insurance as wealthier Americans. Existing inequalities are only exacerbated by the pandemics, as lots of people stopped receiving paychecks but continued to have expenses, maybe even more when considering that they may have had medical costs. Lower income Americans also more frequently have conditions such as heart disease or diabetes, which will make them more vulnerable to the virus or make it more likely to be fatal. This is being confirmed by research, which is showing that poorer Americans are more likely to both contract the coronavirus and to die from it.

The inequality in coronavirus cases doesn’t only exist on a socioeconomic basis. Vox found that in Michigan, black residents comprised 40% of coronavirus related deaths despite only being 14% of the state’s population. Across the United States, there has been an unfortunate pattern of fewer testing centers in neighborhoods heavily populated by minorities, and patients being less likely to be tested with the same symptoms as white patients.

Before the shelter-in-place order was even announced, I was tested for the coronavirus despite being asymptomatic. While at the hospital for a regular doctor’s appointment, the nurses became aware that my mom, a health care worker, may have come in contact with coronavirus patients, and had recently had a mild fever among other symptoms. We were both tested and allowed to leave within a couple of hours. As this pandemic has progressed, it’s becoming increasingly clear to me the privilege we had to be tested so efficiently and receive any medical attention in the first place. I also haven’t had to go into work for several months since so many businesses have been closed, but seeing my classmates continue to work on the front lines of the pandemic in grocery stores, restaurants and pharmacies has been eye opening to say the least.

Sheltering in place has been incredibly effective in not overwhelming hospitals and minimizing the transmission of the virus but in many respects it’s only delaying the inevitable. Lots of workers are simply not going to have the option to continue to self-isolate and will have to take the risk of returning to their jobs.

The coronavirus will certainly change many aspects of society that we never could have imagined before, but the way that it will exacerbate inequalities should come as no surprise to Americans. Income inequality unfortunately permeates every part of life in this country, and the coronavirus is no exception.

Josette Thornhill is a junior at Aragon High School in San Mateo. Student News appears in the weekend edition. You can email Student News at news@smdailyjournal.com.