Coronavirus: Laying bare US social inequities

The coronavirus pandemic will be made worse by American socioeconomic inequality and will make those inequalities worse.

Unlike other industrialized countries, the U.S. does not guarantee paid sick leave to workers, with low-wage workers the most likely to not have this type of protection.

When public health officials tell people who are feeling ill to stay home, we must understand that 25% of workers have no sick days and can’t afford to do so. They will have the choice to go to work and spread the virus or stay home and risk financial peril.

Work-from-home options are nice, but are a luxury afforded only to middle-upper class employees. Low-wage service workers will be driven into further precarity as they are told to stay home or that there is no work for them.

We are also the only wealthy nation not to guarantee health care as a right to its citizens.

Many will avoid going to providers to be tested and treated, leading to further spread. Those who get treated will face grotesque medical bills unique to our country, further entrenching our societal inequities.

This story was originally published March 14, 2020 at 10:55 AM with the headline "Coronavirus: Laying bare US social inequities."