What is to be done now? What do we do as individuals and what do we do as a society?
When Corona first hit the US, a theme began to emerge that spoke of the inequities highlighted by the pandemic and how we must not return to a normal where those still hold sway. Articles and memes that speak of the issues began popping up. As time inches forward we can't forget all the big systemic changes that were made overnight to bail out and shore up the most privileged of society. And we must not leave our most vulnerable behind as the virus continues its course across the globe. We are all interconnected.
"Now is the time to imagine a better world"
"NOT BACK TO NORMAL FORWARD TO BETTER! consider this to be your friendly reminder that even if your feed is back to 'normal' we should not go back to normal. Normal wasn’t working, normal wasn’t healthy, normal wasn’t safe. Our society had normalized racism, greed, violence, complete exhaustion & capital gain at the expense of others." - https://www.instagram.com/p/CEZbak1JGn-/
Case numbers are rising, hundreds of people are dying daily and COVID is continuing to spread. So why are we declaring the pandemic over, and what happened to all being in this together?
As U.S. health guidelines start to loosen as COVID-19 cases fall from record-high levels of infection, we look at how there there are still millions of immunocompromised people who face acute risk of illness and feel they have received little to no guidance on how to stay safe in a prolonged COVID-19 world. Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Ed Yong of The Atlantic spoke to immunocompromised people for his new report and says, “While a lot of the world opens up, their world shuts down, and they feel left behind and abandoned by the government, by their friends, by their workplaces.” Yong notes immunocompromised people “want their lives back, too,” but are just asking for structural solutions to help keep them and non-immunocompromised people safe.
Our greatest hope for long-term recovery is creating a sustainable future that is both equitable and just. We must seize the opportunity to pass transformational policies that center people, the earth, and social equity. This is how we will ease the impact of the pandemic and build frontline communities’ resiliency: honoring people’s right to clean air, land, water, and a dignified life. - https://grist.org/fix/americans-live-sacrifice-zones-lets-fix-that/
Stop saying ‘we’re all in this together.’ You have money. It’s not the same. “The coronavirus has been anything but a great equalizer. It’s been the great revealer, pulling the curtain back on the class divide, exposing how deeply unequal this country is and how deep the fissures are.” - https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/04/18/coronavirus-retail-jobs-inequality/
Outbreak reignites idea of universal basic income - The federal stimulus package that will provide relief checks to some families impacted by the pandemic, has reignited the idea of universal basic income. One testing ground for UBI is in Stockton, California, where a pilot program is underway. Hari Sreenivasan spoke with Stockton's mayor, the program's director and several researchers studying UBI as part of our series, "Chasing the Dream."
More than 3 million Americans last week filed for unemployment benefits. Many who lost their jobs may now have to go without health insurance as well. And with a growing pandemic, the national conversation about universal health care is intensifying. Hari Sreenivasan spoke about with Sara Collins, vice president for health care coverage and access at the Commonwealth Fund, to learn more.
