Thinking Beyond Your Situation: Inequality and Coronavirus

Disparities in education, race, and wealth are exacerbated in times of crisis.

Our mother and her eight sisters emigrated from Tanzania. They grew up in a small two-bedroom apartment where the concept of social distancing would have been both unimaginable and unfathomable. Scenarios like hers, which are ultimately breeding grounds for COVID-19, are a reality in varying degrees for many people.

The COVID-19 pandemic has already pinpointed and will likely worsen existing flaws within society.

Who will be able to work from home while still making enough money to pay the bills? Who will be able to transition to virtual learning overnight? Who will be able to avoid crowded buses and trains?

What about individuals in industries like construction who are less able to work remotely? What about the Uber driver who is constantly exposing himself for the sake of bringing home dinner for his children?

What does it mean to stay home if you are homeless? What does it mean for recovery groups to socially distance themselves?

Social distancing is strongly encouraged as well as legally enforced in some countries in order to “flatten the curve” and mitigate the transmission of the virus. One facet of social distancing involves working from home. In a Time magazine article, Alana B. Semuels ’01 discusses how “the spread of the coronavirus exposes a widening chasm in the U.S. economy between college-educated workers, whose jobs can be done from anywhere on a computer, and less-educated workers who increasingly find themselves in jobs that require human contact.”

Many industries are also segregated by race, education, and income, so working from home will not be a reality for many people from vulnerable populations. For example, giant tech companies were among the first to transition to a work-from-home model. But according to statistics published by Recruiting Innovation, black and Hispanic people comprise only one to three percent of the tech sector.

So even though every person will be impacted as businesses are forced to close and the economy dwindles, the impact will not be spread equally. Sandy Darity, an economist at Duke University, emphasizes that in economic crises, “Everyone loses work, but people of color lose more of them. This time it seems the job losses will be really severe for some, while others are called upon to possibly put themselves at greater risk.”

It is easy to urge protocols like social distancing from a seat of privilege. But the harsh truth is that the most vulnerable in our society will not be able to self-quarantine and maintain a standard of living, while keeping up with the demands of life. The spread of COVID-19 will disseminate faster in poorer communities, with often highly dense living situations, than in wealthier ones.

In overcrowded and underfunded places like prisons and homeless shelters, even the simplest hygiene technique such as handwashing is not as simple or accessible as it seems. Prisons and homeless shelters are operating at maximum capacity and do not have the means to practice social distancing, putting their populations at great risk.

In order to combat the rapid spread of the virus, homeless shelters in California are attempting to relocate individuals facing homelessness to motels. Prisons in New York have suspended visitation hours, and some are turning to measures such as freeing inmates in order to reduce the spread. Furthermore, many states have ordered all non-essential businesses, such as coffee shops and libraries, to shut down — so individuals facing homelessness who are not living in shelters will face even higher barriers to accessing sanitation facilities they previously utilized.

By no means are we underestimating the importance of social distancing and public health measures that are being put into place. These measures are necessary to ensure the health and safety of individuals. It is imperative to implement social policies to address barriers faced by marginalized populations, such as accessibility of hygiene, diagnostic testing, child care support, and emergency meals. Federal lawmakers have a moral obligation to innovate policies that address these vulnerable populations.

Fortunately, these daunting times have also demonstrated the strength of uniting as a community. From a petition to help those facing homelessness in the Boston area relocate into Harvard dorms to translations of COVID-19 information for non-English speaking communities, it is important to be aware of and try to contribute to grassroots movements that can aid these vulnerable populations.

Think beyond your situation. Think about the insufficiency of healthcare resources and how these resources are rationed based on inequities. Think about how these public protective measures may actually cause some individuals to struggle even more. Although COVID-19 possesses the capacity of infecting any human, vulnerable individuals from marginalized populations are going to be disproportionately impacted. The social and economic impact of this virus will be felt even more by those who are already marginalized — those who are segregated by education, race, and wealth.

Alisha and Natasha Nanji are first-year graduate students at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.