thenation--2020-04-02--How to Prepare for the Next Pandemic

How to Prepare for the Next Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has made it painfully obvious that the United States lacks a fully functioning public health infrastructure .
In recent years , funding has been cut to local , state , and federal public health agencies .
The White House dissolved the National Security Council Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense .
We are now observing the effects of these cuts .
In the face of a global pandemic , our country is disastrously unprepared .
These cuts did not happen by accident .
The neoliberal worldview , which has dominated public policy-making across the world for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ liberation of a nimble market free from the oppressive constraints of the lumbering government .
Neoliberalism ’ s prescriptions are rooted in a radical individualism .
In the words of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher , “ There ’ s no such thing as society .
There are individual men and women and there are families.
” Corporations , wealthy elites , and their political allies have turned this narrative—along with a healthy serving of racism and xenophobia—into self-fulfilling prophecy : Slash government funding so the public sector no longer works well , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ further funding cuts , and reap the benefits in lower taxes on wealth and profits .
But it ’ s not just the defunded public health infrastructure that has left us unprepared for the pandemic , nor the fragmented health care system and the large number of people who remain uninsured .
Neoliberalism has also undermined other aspects of our social order that are necessary for a robust response to this catastrophe .
First , workers in today ’ s neoliberal economy don ’ t earn enough to survive a crisis of any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many workers have no savings to fall back on .
The majority of Americans can ’ t pay $ 400 in unanticipated bills , so , even before the arrival of Covid-19 , unforeseen medical bills drove families into bankruptcy , foreclosure , eviction , or homelessness .
As the economy grinds to a halt , many working people can ’ t pay for food , housing , health care , or almost anything else , despite the federal bailout and its derisory $ 1,200 checks .
The outbreak has made clear that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ existing safety net is inadequate for a real emergency .
Second , our care infrastructure is insufficient .
In today ’ s economy , most families must have two working parents to get by .
That leaves holes , in good times and bad : Who will take care of kids and elders ?
Women , often women of color , perform most of the child care , elder care , and unskilled nursing care , some of it unpaid , the rest underpaid .
Many working parents can ’ t take paid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves or their family members when they are sick .
Today , they face the choice of going to work feverish , in defiance of public health guidance—or staying home , unable to pay their bills .
And while the emergency bill passed by Congress provides paid sick days for some , it does so only for our current pandemic and not for workers at businesses with more than 500 or fewer than 50 employees .
Not to mention , who is supposed to take care of the kids when schools close ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has created , the basic challenge of combining work and family has been shrugged off by both business and government .
Third , neoliberalism has cultivated sizable populations that are uniquely vulnerable to the spread of disease .
People who are homeless—victims of the soaring cost of housing , elimination of housing subsidies for low-income people , and reduced support for mental health and substance abuse treatment—often have underlying health conditions that put them at risk .
They live in close proximity to others and lack places to safely shelter from the cold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hands .
Incarcerated people , a population that has grown fivefold in the neoliberal era thanks to the unequal distribution of economic opportunity paired with draconian Law and Order policies , are starting to fall ill in the confined quarters of jails and prisons .
And then there are undocumented immigrants , systematically demonized and terrorized for political gain , but crucial to our economy and here because of the devastation neoliberalism has wrought in their home countries .
They are understandably hesitant to get tested or seek medical help if they get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the pandemic , with some primaries postponed and others likely to be .
Neoliberalism has played a role in this , too , as political actors with power and influence have blocked online voter registration , vote-by-mail , and other democracy-promoting reforms by spreading tales of voter fraud and stoking racial animosity .
Ultimately , the pandemic has revealed starkly who has power and who doesn ’ t .
Much of the response to Covid-19 has been shaped by the needs of industry and finance , not health .
While unaccountable multilateral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forced painful austerity on countries suffering financial crises , the World Health Organization lacks the authority to dictate a response to the health crisis .
Here at home , stock market numbers seem to spur presidential responses far more than health data .
And when our season of bailouts and rescue packages is complete , it feels inevitable that pork for corporations will dwarf the crumbs thrown to working people .
In short , the outbreak , its fallout , and the inadequate US response have laid bare the brokenness of neoliberalism .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Indeed , the failure of prosperous , developed nations to respond appropriately to this crisis should push us to question the more profound if ugly truth on which today ’ s economy lies : Society as a whole produces wealth , but only some of us get to take it home .
In our contemporary narrative , wealthy people and successful corporations deserve their bulging bank accounts because of their work , ideas , effort , or brilliance .
But no one makes money alone .
Put Bill Gates on a desert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generate a dollar , let alone a billion .
His success depends on factors far beyond his control : the labor of workers , which in turn depends on their education , housing , transportation , and nutrition ; the utilities that supply power and water to factories and offices ; the financial and banking systems ; the legal system to enforce claims ; and so on .
Microsoft made billions because a huge social infrastructure allowed it to operate and succeed .
Every society creates wealth , and every society writes its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Some use that wealth to build pyramids or cathedrals or skyscrapers .
Some distribute it to keep people fed , clothed , and housed , whether through the obligations of feudal noblemen to their serfs or through progressive taxation and a welfare system .
In the past 40 years , our society has systematically made it easier for the most powerful individuals and corporations to stash socially produced wealth for their own benefit and accumulate it at prodigious levels .
Under the rules of neoliberalism , “ business as usual ” exacerbates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more wealth than many nations will ever produce .
Times of crisis drive home these guiding principles .
Bailing out financial firms after the Great Recession of 2008 socialized corporate losses .
When the bailout enriched executives and investors , it privatized profits .
We anticipate the same outcome from the Covid-19 outbreak .
In good times , the rich get richer .
In poor times , the poor get poorer .
Heads I win , tails you lose .
One stimulus bill at a time , wealth flows from the public into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The privatization of wealth at this scale widens inequality , weakens democracy , and unleashes a competitive individualism that undermines community and destabilizes the social order .
But the worst part is that so many people think this is just the way it is .
Another narrative is possible Maybe the Covid-19 outbreak could allow us to imagine a different world .
Perhaps the coronavirus could expose the dark side of neoliberal capitalism and make possible a different economic system , just as the Great Depression of the 1920s made possible the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a radical idea to think that we could design our country to function better for everyone , not just the über-rich ?
What if we took advantage of this moment to tell a different story about wealth ?
What if we dispelled the obvious fiction that the so-called free market allows people to thrive ?
What if we saw contemporary corporations for what they are : engines that take from the many to make profits for the few ?
Three Truths and a Lie : a Version for Organizers The Science of ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this series The platforms of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are a start—policies like Medicare for All , paid sick leave , and free child care .
But we have to be able to respond to the inevitable pushback : “ How are we going to pay for that ?
” As long as we assume corporations deserve their massive profits and executives their obscene paychecks , while working people are getting charity if they access public benefits , we will never create a more equitable society ( not to mention prepare for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ narrative would begin with the idea that society ’ s wealth belongs to everyone .
We all have a part in creating it , whether as workers , consumers , or taxpayers who underwrite the education , infrastructure , and safety net that make profits possible .
Once we see our society ’ s prosperity as a collective product , it ’ s a short step to making democratic decisions about what to do with this wealth , so that everyone can thrive .
We ’ re not claiming this argument is original @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left articulate it every day , and it has been the guiding principle of many societies in the world .
But to many it still sounds alien and radical , because it has been strikingly absent for the past 40 years .
If we could shift the public conversation in this way , a further set of policies would seem common sense : guaranteeing workers a living wage ; taxing emissions of pollutants and building a green economy ; requiring employers to cover the costs of health , child , and elder care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ housing , education , and infrastructure—including public health infrastructure—in their communities .
Remaining corporate profits could be taxed significantly , as could high salaries , capital gains , and individual wealth .
Many organizations on the left are already fighting for these policies , but there are limits to our current approach .
The current narrative makes it hard to win any of these policies , let alone all of them , and it pits us against each other as we squabble over slices of a tiny budgetary pie .
If we could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while we advocate policy changes , we would multiply our power and position ourselves to advance real change .
For an example of how conceptual shift could drive smart policy , consider Amazon , which is flourishing during the crisis .
The popular narrative tells us that Jeff Bezos has earned his riches , but Amazon ’ s success was built on the labor of many and depends on infrastructure—like paved roads—built and maintained by governments and taxpayers .
Seeing that , isn ’ t it reasonable to insist Amazon ’ s workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days , and reimbursement for child care ; that the company pay for the environmental harm it causes ; and that a share of Amazon ’ s annual profits be used to shore up our public health system ?
( While we ’ re at it , let ’ s also fix the loopholes that allow the company to avoid paying federal income taxes . )
More pandemics will arrive on our shores .
Climate change will wreak havoc .
And we ’ ll face other disasters we can ’ t yet anticipate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unquestioned premises of neoliberalism , telling a different story of how society should function , and taking control of resources that belong to us all .
In a democracy , we should all get to make decisions about who takes home the profits and how we spend them .
Only this will move us toward the world we want to live in , where prosperity is distributed more equitably , with less division along lines of race , gender , and class , where we care for our democracy and our environment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all need to thrive .

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The coronavirus pandemic has made it painfully obvious that the United States lacks a fully functioning public health infrastructure. In recent years, funding has been cut to local, state, and federal public health agencies. The White House dissolved the National Security Council Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense. We are now observing the effects of these cuts. In the face of a global pandemic, our country is disastrously unprepared.
These cuts did not happen by accident. The neoliberal worldview, which has dominated public policy-making across the world for the last 40 years, celebrates the liberation of a nimble market free from the oppressive constraints of the lumbering government. Neoliberalism’s prescriptions are rooted in a radical individualism. In the words of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, “There’s no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are families.” Corporations, wealthy elites, and their political allies have turned this narrative—along with a healthy serving of racism and xenophobia—into self-fulfilling prophecy: Slash government funding so the public sector no longer works well, erode public confidence in government, justify further funding cuts, and reap the benefits in lower taxes on wealth and profits.
But it’s not just the defunded public health infrastructure that has left us unprepared for the pandemic, nor the fragmented health care system and the large number of people who remain uninsured. Neoliberalism has also undermined other aspects of our social order that are necessary for a robust response to this catastrophe.
Unprepared… by design
First, workers in today’s neoliberal economy don’t earn enough to survive a crisis of any kind. Living paycheck to paycheck, many workers have no savings to fall back on. The majority of Americans can’t pay $400 in unanticipated bills, so, even before the arrival of Covid-19, unforeseen medical bills drove families into bankruptcy, foreclosure, eviction, or homelessness. As the economy grinds to a halt, many working people can’t pay for food, housing, health care, or almost anything else, despite the federal bailout and its derisory $1,200 checks. The outbreak has made clear that many of us live precariously and the existing safety net is inadequate for a real emergency.
Second, our care infrastructure is insufficient. In today’s economy, most families must have two working parents to get by. That leaves holes, in good times and bad: Who will take care of kids and elders? Women, often women of color, perform most of the child care, elder care, and unskilled nursing care, some of it unpaid, the rest underpaid. Many working parents can’t take paid time off from work to care for themselves or their family members when they are sick. Today, they face the choice of going to work feverish, in defiance of public health guidance—or staying home, unable to pay their bills. And while the emergency bill passed by Congress provides paid sick days for some, it does so only for our current pandemic and not for workers at businesses with more than 500 or fewer than 50 employees. Not to mention, who is supposed to take care of the kids when schools close? In the brutal social order modern capitalism has created, the basic challenge of combining work and family has been shrugged off by both business and government. Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung Current Issue View our current issue
Third, neoliberalism has cultivated sizable populations that are uniquely vulnerable to the spread of disease. People who are homeless—victims of the soaring cost of housing, elimination of housing subsidies for low-income people, and reduced support for mental health and substance abuse treatment—often have underlying health conditions that put them at risk. They live in close proximity to others and lack places to safely shelter from the cold and rain, let alone wash their hands. Incarcerated people, a population that has grown fivefold in the neoliberal era thanks to the unequal distribution of economic opportunity paired with draconian Law and Order policies, are starting to fall ill in the confined quarters of jails and prisons. And then there are undocumented immigrants, systematically demonized and terrorized for political gain, but crucial to our economy and here because of the devastation neoliberalism has wrought in their home countries. They are understandably hesitant to get tested or seek medical help if they get sick.
Even our democracy is ill-prepared for the pandemic, with some primaries postponed and others likely to be. Neoliberalism has played a role in this, too, as political actors with power and influence have blocked online voter registration, vote-by-mail, and other democracy-promoting reforms by spreading tales of voter fraud and stoking racial animosity.
Ultimately, the pandemic has revealed starkly who has power and who doesn’t. Much of the response to Covid-19 has been shaped by the needs of industry and finance, not health. While unaccountable multilateral bodies like the International Monetary Fund have forced painful austerity on countries suffering financial crises, the World Health Organization lacks the authority to dictate a response to the health crisis. Here at home, stock market numbers seem to spur presidential responses far more than health data. And when our season of bailouts and rescue packages is complete, it feels inevitable that pork for corporations will dwarf the crumbs thrown to working people.
An opening
In short, the outbreak, its fallout, and the inadequate US response have laid bare the brokenness of neoliberalism. The problem goes far deeper than Trump. Indeed, the failure of prosperous, developed nations to respond appropriately to this crisis should push us to question the more profound if ugly truth on which today’s economy lies: Society as a whole produces wealth, but only some of us get to take it home.
In our contemporary narrative, wealthy people and successful corporations deserve their bulging bank accounts because of their work, ideas, effort, or brilliance. But no one makes money alone. Put Bill Gates on a desert island, and he won’t generate a dollar, let alone a billion. His success depends on factors far beyond his control: the labor of workers, which in turn depends on their education, housing, transportation, and nutrition; the utilities that supply power and water to factories and offices; the financial and banking systems; the legal system to enforce claims; and so on. Microsoft made billions because a huge social infrastructure allowed it to operate and succeed.
Every society creates wealth, and every society writes its own rules about how to distribute it. Some use that wealth to build pyramids or cathedrals or skyscrapers. Some distribute it to keep people fed, clothed, and housed, whether through the obligations of feudal noblemen to their serfs or through progressive taxation and a welfare system. In the past 40 years, our society has systematically made it easier for the most powerful individuals and corporations to stash socially produced wealth for their own benefit and accumulate it at prodigious levels. Under the rules of neoliberalism, “business as usual” exacerbates inequalities and allows billionaires to pile up more wealth than many nations will ever produce.
Times of crisis drive home these guiding principles. Bailing out financial firms after the Great Recession of 2008 socialized corporate losses. When the bailout enriched executives and investors, it privatized profits. We anticipate the same outcome from the Covid-19 outbreak. In good times, the rich get richer. In poor times, the poor get poorer. Heads I win, tails you lose. One stimulus bill at a time, wealth flows from the public into the pockets of corporations and the wealthy.
The privatization of wealth at this scale widens inequality, weakens democracy, and unleashes a competitive individualism that undermines community and destabilizes the social order. But the worst part is that so many people think this is just the way it is.
Another narrative is possible
Maybe the Covid-19 outbreak could allow us to imagine a different world. Perhaps the coronavirus could expose the dark side of neoliberal capitalism and make possible a different economic system, just as the Great Depression of the 1920s made possible the New Deal. Is it really such a radical idea to think that we could design our country to function better for everyone, not just the über-rich?
What if we took advantage of this moment to tell a different story about wealth? What if we dispelled the obvious fiction that the so-called free market allows people to thrive? What if we saw contemporary corporations for what they are: engines that take from the many to make profits for the few? Neoliberalism Larry Summers and the Crisis of Economic Orthodoxy Jeet Heer The Liberal Discontents of Francis Fukuyama Daniel Bessner We’re Living in a Golden Age of Plenty—for the Rich Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis
The platforms of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are a start—policies like Medicare for All, paid sick leave, and free child care. But we have to be able to respond to the inevitable pushback: “How are we going to pay for that?” As long as we assume corporations deserve their massive profits and executives their obscene paychecks, while working people are getting charity if they access public benefits, we will never create a more equitable society (not to mention prepare for the next pandemic).
A transformational narrative would begin with the idea that society’s wealth belongs to everyone. We all have a part in creating it, whether as workers, consumers, or taxpayers who underwrite the education, infrastructure, and safety net that make profits possible. Once we see our society’s prosperity as a collective product, it’s a short step to making democratic decisions about what to do with this wealth, so that everyone can thrive.
We’re not claiming this argument is original. Community organizers and others on the left articulate it every day, and it has been the guiding principle of many societies in the world. But to many it still sounds alien and radical, because it has been strikingly absent for the past 40 years.
If we could shift the public conversation in this way, a further set of policies would seem common sense: guaranteeing workers a living wage; taxing emissions of pollutants and building a green economy; requiring employers to cover the costs of health, child, and elder care; and expecting businesses to contribute to housing, education, and infrastructure—including public health infrastructure—in their communities. Remaining corporate profits could be taxed significantly, as could high salaries, capital gains, and individual wealth.
Many organizations on the left are already fighting for these policies, but there are limits to our current approach. The current narrative makes it hard to win any of these policies, let alone all of them, and it pits us against each other as we squabble over slices of a tiny budgetary pie. If we could join together to change the public discussion while we advocate policy changes, we would multiply our power and position ourselves to advance real change.
For an example of how conceptual shift could drive smart policy, consider Amazon, which is flourishing during the crisis. The popular narrative tells us that Jeff Bezos has earned his riches, but Amazon’s success was built on the labor of many and depends on infrastructure—like paved roads—built and maintained by governments and taxpayers. Seeing that, isn’t it reasonable to insist Amazon’s workers receive a living wage, paid sick days, and reimbursement for child care; that the company pay for the environmental harm it causes; and that a share of Amazon’s annual profits be used to shore up our public health system? (While we’re at it, let’s also fix the loopholes that allow the company to avoid paying federal income taxes.)
More pandemics will arrive on our shores. Climate change will wreak havoc. And we’ll face other disasters we can’t yet anticipate. To respond adequately requires questioning the unquestioned premises of neoliberalism, telling a different story of how society should function, and taking control of resources that belong to us all. In a democracy, we should all get to make decisions about who takes home the profits and how we spend them. Only this will move us toward the world we want to live in, where prosperity is distributed more equitably, with less division along lines of race, gender, and class, where we care for our democracy and our environment, and where we nurture the community we all need to thrive.


thenation--2020-04-02--‘People Should Not Be Forced to Put Their Lives on the Line to Vote’

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders called Wednesday for officials in Wisconsin to postpone the state ’ s April 7 presidential primary because of the threat posed by the coronavirus outbreak .
“ People should not be forced to put their lives on the line to vote , which is why 15 states are now following the advice of public health experts and delaying their elections , ” said the Democratic presidential contender .
“ We urge Wisconsin to join them .
The state should delay Tuesday ’ s vote , extend early voting and work to move entirely to vote-by-mail.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a delay is necessary .
Democratic Party of Wisconsin chair Ben Wikler announced Wednesday that the party was endorsing “ the call by civil rights groups and mayors across Wisconsin to postpone our April 7 election and remove barriers to safe voting by mail.
” On the Need for Dissent and Debate in These Urgent Times How to Win in Wisconsin This Is What an Opposition Party Is Supposed to Sound Like At the same time , a federal judge who was considering lawsuits seeking to delay the election complained , “ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governor are not willing to step up and say there ’ s a public health crisis and make it absolutely clear that we should not be allowing poll workers and voters to congregate on April 7.
” Pointing out that “ the state of Wisconsin is ignoring [ public health ] data and endangering its public , ” US District Judge William Conley urged state officials to delay the election .
“ It ’ s really a bad public policy idea and they should stop it for health reasons , ” said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order a postponement , arguing that the decision is up to the state .
Democratic Governor Tony Evers responded , “ If I could have changed the election on my own I would have but I can ’ t without violating state law .
I ’ ve asked the legislature to do its part to ensure a fair and safe election and I hope we can get some clarity as soon as possible.
” But clarity was hard to come by , as Republicans who control the state legislature refused to accept arguments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election is , as of publication , going forward—despite the fact that , by a 51-44 margin , the voters say it should be postponed .
Sanders is urging Wisconsin backers to vote by mail .
Former vice president Joe Biden , who leads Sanders in polls of likely Wisconsin Democratic primary voters , has so far refused to join the senator in calling for a delay .
The Biden camp is simply telling voters to “ follow social distancing guidelines to slow the spread of COVID-19.
” Prominent Republicans are also urging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The problem with the message from Biden and the Republicans is that the election is now degenerating into chaos .
Poll workers in communities across Wisconsin—where Evers has ordered a statewide “ stay-at-home ” lockdown—are signaling that they do not feel they will be safe running polling places on Tuesday .
That ’ s led to a dramatic reduction in the number of locations where in-person voting can take place .
In Waukesha , a city of 72,000 , only one polling place will open Tuesday .
In the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 400 of the needed 1,400 poll workers have signed up , officials plan to reduce the number of polling places from 180 to only 10 or 12 .
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was asked if he felt comfortable urging voters to cast in-person ballots Tuesday in the presidential primary as well as state and local elections—including his own race for another term as mayor .
His response : “ No , not one bit.
” “ It doesn ’ t make sense for us to put people in harm ’ s way by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line , ” said Barrett .
Barrett ’ s been urging voters to cast absentee ballots , as has Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway of Madison .
But both cities have been overwhelmed by the demand for alternatives to in-person voting .
In Madison , for instance , election officials have been scrambling to find enough ballot envelopes and mailing labels to keep up with a deluge of requests for absentee ballots .
Instead of the expected 6,000 to 7,000 , the City has had more than 70,000 , and the numbers are rising .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Wednesday running more than 200,000 ahead of the total for the 2016 November election , when 819,316 were cast .
The phone lines of election clerks were jammed with calls from more people seeking ballots .
Our Elections Are Not Immune “ ‘ Nightmare , ’ ” screamed the Green Bay Post Gazette headline , which warned : “ Clerks working overtime , but some Wisconsin voters may not get ballots in time.
” With backlogs of absentee ballot requests , deadlines for applications looming , and complexities arising because of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , hundreds of thousands of voters are watching their options disappear .
In Green Bay , where more than 230 election workers said they would obey orders to stay at home rather than risk contracting the virus , the City has floated the idea of reducing the number of polling places from 31 to as few as four .
There ’ s talk of using members of the National Guard as poll workers , and of conducting the vote in large gymnasiums where social distancing might be easier .
But Green Bay City @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ Even to the extent a gymnasium space would allow for social distancing , there are multiple opportunities for close contact during the voting process , such as when signing the poll books , and depending upon the number of people in line and any number of other factors , social distancing may become difficult.
” Lawyers for Green Bay and other cities have joined voting rights groups in seeking to delay the election .
But the courts have so far refused to intervene .
And Republicans , who hope to win @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a low turnout , were still dismissing concerns with remarks that make Donald Trump sound like a public-health stalwart .
“ If you ’ re bored at home and sick of watching Netflix , volunteer to go and help at the polls , ” chirped state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos .
Evers has taken the challenge more seriously than Vos .
But the governor has wrestled with concerns about the fact that hundreds of nonpartisan races for township , village , city , and county posts , as well as school boards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballot Tuesday .
The Coronavirus Doesn ’ t Have to Disrupt Our Elections Evers said last week that he wanted absentee ballots to be sent to all voters .
But state Senate majority leader Scott Fitzgerald , a Republican who is campaigning for an open US House seat as a Trump administration ally , dismissed the ideas as a “ complete fantasy.
” Evers was right .
Fitzgerald was wrong .
But the standoff between the Democratic governor and the Republican legislature has delayed meaningful action to hold an election where everyone is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to vote .
At this point , the election should be delayed .
But it does not necessarily have to be delayed for as long as it has been in the 15 states that have already postponed primary elections—many of which have rescheduled voting for June 2 .
Because Wisconsin must avoid vacancies in local posts , it needs to move more quickly .
That ’ s possible , because a great many absentee ballots have already been cast .
The state could , by extending voting for two weeks , by adopting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absentee ballot to every voter , and by easing ID restrictions for voters who want to register online , end the chaos and conduct a legitimate vote .
That ’ s not an ideal circumstance .
But it would dramatically increase turnout , which ought to be the goal .

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Nation believes that helping readers stay informed about the impact of the coronavirus crisis is a form of public service. For that reason, this article, and all of our coronavirus coverage, is now free. Please subscribe to support our writers and staff, and stay healthy.
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Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders called Wednesday for officials in Wisconsin to postpone the state’s April 7 presidential primary because of the threat posed by the coronavirus outbreak.
“People should not be forced to put their lives on the line to vote, which is why 15 states are now following the advice of public health experts and delaying their elections,” said the Democratic presidential contender. “We urge Wisconsin to join them. The state should delay Tuesday’s vote, extend early voting and work to move entirely to vote-by-mail.”
Sanders was not alone in recognizing that a delay is necessary.
Democratic Party of Wisconsin chair Ben Wikler announced Wednesday that the party was endorsing “the call by civil rights groups and mayors across Wisconsin to postpone our April 7 election and remove barriers to safe voting by mail.” More From John Nichols A GOP Debate Without Trump Is the Definition of Pointlessness August 11, 2023 A Win for Abortion Rights, a Win for Democracy: Ohio Voters Reject Issue 1 August 9, 2023 The Biggest Threat to Donald Trump Could Be the Constitution Itself August 4, 2023
At the same time, a federal judge who was considering lawsuits seeking to delay the election complained, “The state of Wisconsin’s Legislature and governor are not willing to step up and say there’s a public health crisis and make it absolutely clear that we should not be allowing poll workers and voters to congregate on April 7.”
Pointing out that “the state of Wisconsin is ignoring [public health] data and endangering its public,” US District Judge William Conley urged state officials to delay the election. “It’s really a bad public policy idea and they should stop it for health reasons,” said the judge.
But Judge Conley refused to order a postponement, arguing that the decision is up to the state.
Democratic Governor Tony Evers responded, “If I could have changed the election on my own I would have but I can’t without violating state law. I’ve asked the legislature to do its part to ensure a fair and safe election and I hope we can get some clarity as soon as possible.” But clarity was hard to come by, as Republicans who control the state legislature refused to accept arguments for delaying the election. Current Issue View our current issue
So the election is, as of publication, going forward—despite the fact that, by a 51-44 margin, the voters say it should be postponed.
Sanders is urging Wisconsin backers to vote by mail. Former vice president Joe Biden, who leads Sanders in polls of likely Wisconsin Democratic primary voters, has so far refused to join the senator in calling for a delay. The Biden camp is simply telling voters to “follow social distancing guidelines to slow the spread of COVID-19.” Prominent Republicans are also urging voters to show up on April 7. Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung
The problem with the message from Biden and the Republicans is that the election is now degenerating into chaos. Poll workers in communities across Wisconsin—where Evers has ordered a statewide “stay-at-home” lockdown—are signaling that they do not feel they will be safe running polling places on Tuesday. That’s led to a dramatic reduction in the number of locations where in-person voting can take place.
In Waukesha, a city of 72,000, only one polling place will open Tuesday. In the state’s largest city, Milwaukee, where only 400 of the needed 1,400 poll workers have signed up, officials plan to reduce the number of polling places from 180 to only 10 or 12.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was asked if he felt comfortable urging voters to cast in-person ballots Tuesday in the presidential primary as well as state and local elections—including his own race for another term as mayor. His response: “No, not one bit.”
“It doesn’t make sense for us to put people in harm’s way by asking them to go and stand in line,” said Barrett.
Barrett’s been urging voters to cast absentee ballots, as has Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway of Madison. But both cities have been overwhelmed by the demand for alternatives to in-person voting. In Madison, for instance, election officials have been scrambling to find enough ballot envelopes and mailing labels to keep up with a deluge of requests for absentee ballots. Instead of the expected 6,000 to 7,000, the City has had more than 70,000, and the numbers are rising. Statewide, requests for absentee ballots were by Wednesday running more than 200,000 ahead of the total for the 2016 November election, when 819,316 were cast. The phone lines of election clerks were jammed with calls from more people seeking ballots. Election Vulnerability Our Elections Are Not Immune John Nichols
“‘Nightmare,’” screamed the Green Bay Post Gazette headline, which warned: “Clerks working overtime, but some Wisconsin voters may not get ballots in time.”
With backlogs of absentee ballot requests, deadlines for applications looming, and complexities arising because of the state’s draconian voter ID laws, hundreds of thousands of voters are watching their options disappear. In Green Bay, where more than 230 election workers said they would obey orders to stay at home rather than risk contracting the virus, the City has floated the idea of reducing the number of polling places from 31 to as few as four.
There’s talk of using members of the National Guard as poll workers, and of conducting the vote in large gymnasiums where social distancing might be easier. But Green Bay City Attorney Vanessa Chavez told the Press Gazette, “Even to the extent a gymnasium space would allow for social distancing, there are multiple opportunities for close contact during the voting process, such as when signing the poll books, and depending upon the number of people in line and any number of other factors, social distancing may become difficult.”
Lawyers for Green Bay and other cities have joined voting rights groups in seeking to delay the election. But the courts have so far refused to intervene. And Republicans, who hope to win a hotly contested state Supreme Court race on a low turnout, were still dismissing concerns with remarks that make Donald Trump sound like a public-health stalwart. “If you’re bored at home and sick of watching Netflix, volunteer to go and help at the polls,” chirped state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.
Evers has taken the challenge more seriously than Vos. But the governor has wrestled with concerns about the fact that hundreds of nonpartisan races for township, village, city, and county posts, as well as school boards and the judiciary, are on the ballot Tuesday. Protecting Elections The Coronavirus Doesn’t Have to Disrupt Our Elections John Nichols
Evers said last week that he wanted absentee ballots to be sent to all voters. But state Senate majority leader Scott Fitzgerald, a Republican who is campaigning for an open US House seat as a Trump administration ally, dismissed the ideas as a “complete fantasy.”
Evers was right. Fitzgerald was wrong.
But the standoff between the Democratic governor and the Republican legislature has delayed meaningful action to hold an election where everyone is guaranteed a safe and reasonably easy chance to vote.
At this point, the election should be delayed. But it does not necessarily have to be delayed for as long as it has been in the 15 states that have already postponed primary elections—many of which have rescheduled voting for June 2. Because Wisconsin must avoid vacancies in local posts, it needs to move more quickly. That’s possible, because a great many absentee ballots have already been cast.
The state could, by extending voting for two weeks, by adopting the proposal by Evers to send an absentee ballot to every voter, and by easing ID restrictions for voters who want to register online, end the chaos and conduct a legitimate vote.
That’s not an ideal circumstance. But it would dramatically increase turnout, which ought to be the goal.


thenation--2020-04-02--Inside an Urgent Mission to Protect the Homeless From Coronavirus

On a recent evening in Portland , Oregon , Dr. William Toepper put on a paper surgical mask and made his way down a muddy road toward a row of shelters pitched beneath the fir trees .
Smoke drifted up from a small fire tended by two women .
One of them stood as he approached .
“ You doing OK ?
” he asked.1 “ Yeah , ” she said .
“ Got any food ?
” 2 “ We ’ ve got survivor kits , ” Toepper offered , holding out a ziplock bag packed with socks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sanitizer .
“ I ’ ll take one , ” the woman said .
“ I want to survive.
” 3 Toepper , a retired emergency physician , is the medical director of Portland Street Medicine , a group of doctors , nurses , social workers , and other volunteers who provide care to people living on the streets , in camps , or in forests in the Portland area .
Volunteers go on rounds three days a week , providing acute care and basic medical supplies and offering to connect people with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks PSM volunteers have also been sharing information about Covid-19 as part of a multiorganization effort to protect Portland ’ s homeless population , estimated at 4,000 , during the pandemic.4 In the field , Toepper goes by “ Dr .
Bill.
” He ’ s known this woman , whom I ’ ll call Hannah , for about two years .
Hannah is 40 , and she has chronic hypertension .
She ’ s on medication , and she ’ s feeling better , she told us— “ except for all this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , waving her hands .
She was wearing blue latex gloves .
“ I ’ m just stressed out really bad.
” 5 Nearby , a man with a short gray beard poked his head out of a tent .
He ’ d been following news about the coronavirus on his phone .
Earlier in the day Oregon ’ s governor issued a stay-home order , closing some businesses and public spaces that many people without housing rely on .
“ Everything ’ s going to be shut down for two weeks now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Probably more like six weeks , yeah , ” Toepper replied.6 “ How are we supposed to eat ?
” the man said.7 More than half a million people across the United States experience homelessness on any given night , and the population faces acute risks from the respiratory virus .
Many have underlying health conditions , including chronic lung disease , HIV/AIDS , and mental illness , as well as higher levels of stress , which can weaken the immune system .
Even in the absence of a viral pandemic , people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ almost 10 times the general population ’ s and nearly three times that of people living in shelters .
Access to sanitation facilities , limited under ordinary circumstances , has been further complicated as public spaces like libraries close and service providers suspend operations in response to the pandemic.8 The first confirmed death from Covid-19 in the US homeless population occurred on March 16 in Silicon Valley ; since then , in New York City , at least two others have died , and dozens of people living in shelters have tested positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difficult if not impossible in shelter settings , though shelters across the country are taking various measures to try to limit the risk , including opening new temporary facilities to relieve crowding elsewhere .
For those living outdoors , survival often depends on social bonds .
“ It ’ s a social cohort of people , ” Toepper said , culturally and sometimes economically .
“ It ’ s tough to distance when your income depends on sex work or canning [ collecting cans for the recycling deposit ] .
” He continued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overall risk of getting [ Covid-19 ] is lower , simply because of the fresh air .
But once it hits , it ’ s going to be less well tolerated.
” And if it hits , “ the virus doesn ’ t stay in the homeless encampments .
It ’ s a threat to everyone.
” 9 Farther down the row of campsites , a woman named Julie asked Toepper about the shelter-in-place rules .
“ I was wondering if they ’ re possibly going to round us up and put us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s the case , what ’ s going to happen to my dog ?
” she said .
“ That is certainly not the plan , ” he assured her.10 Julie asked about the symptoms of the disease , and Brandon Deyo , a registered nurse and PSM volunteer , told her to watch out for cough , fever , and shortness of breath .
“ The hard part is that hospitals are really busy right now because of this , and there are sick people there , so there are risks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ re struggling to breathe , then you should go.
” 11 Earlier , Toepper asked Hannah what her anxiety felt like .
He described his own as like a pit in his stomach .
“ Oh , man , ” she said , “ it goes right to my heart.
” 12 One of the foundational principles of street medicine is that providers meet people wherever they are .
Offering regular care directly can avert unnecessary , expensive trips to the emergency room .
It also helps build trust with people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clinic , even if they ’ re critically ill or injured .
“ When somebody comes into a health care setting , if they ’ re not clean or they don ’ t communicate well or they can ’ t bring their service dog , it can result in quite traumatic experiences , so they avoid it , ” Toepper said .
“ Our experience on the streets is that people are underutilizing health care.
” 13 Over the past few weeks , Toepper has been grappling with a question that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to provide street medicine , which depends on personal contact , during a viral pandemic ?
“ The difficult thing about doing the work is that contamination measures , distancing , PPE [ personal protective equipment ] —it ’ s a little more difficult in some of these chaotic environments , ” he said .
Some of PSM ’ s outreach has been scaled back simply because many of its volunteers work in hospitals and are busier than ever because of the virus .
“ One of us is probably going to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know how that ’ s going to affect us , to be honest , ” he said .
That prospect amplifies the need to protect not only PSM ’ s volunteers but also the people they treat.14 Several dozen street medicine programs operate in the US .
Recently the Street Medicine Institute , which advises local community groups , released recommendations that outreach teams be limited to essential personnel and that they focus on reducing the “ spread of the pandemic , while still providing the best medical care possible to the rough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ implemented new protocols for distributing medications and supplies to people , and he and Deyo wore masks.15 While Covid-19 complicates the logistics of providing care , the pandemic also makes the work more necessary .
In addition to reaching an at-risk population , street medicine can play an important role in public health more broadly .
“ So much of this work , on a practical level , has always been ER diversion , ” Deyo said .
That mission “ is much more amplified in its importance now , ” given the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Covid-19.16 Beginning on March 11 , PSM worked alongside the Multnomah County Department of Public Health and others in an effort to reach as much of the city ’ s unhoused population as possible with information about Covid-19 and supplies , including hand sanitizer .
At first , Toepper said , many of the people they spoke with seemed uninterested or suspicious , but over the course of a week , they became increasingly concerned .
Like Julie , many were afraid of being swept up and imprisoned in shelterlike environments.17 Advocates argue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forcibly move people into shelters .
Instead , they ’ re calling for cities to house people in hotels or other private accommodations during the crisis , and they call for significant increases in funding for housing assistance .
“ It has never been more clear that housing is health care , ” said Diane Yentel , the president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition , in a statement .
Advocates worry not only that the pandemic poses risks to individuals without housing but also that the economic fallout could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ package passed by Congress addressed some of these concerns , providing $ 4 billion to assist homeless shelters and outreach workers , $ 1.25 billion for Section 8 housing vouchers , $ 685 million for public housing , and a limited eviction moratorium .
( Governors in Oregon , California , and other states have implemented broader moratoriums on residential evictions . )
18 Workers Are Warriors in the Fight Against the Coronavirus 12 Coronavirus Funds That Will Help the Most Vulnerable More in this series In response to the pandemic , Portland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to limit its regular sweeps of encampments , in accordance with new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , which advised that clearing camps could “ cause people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service providers.
” This will be a reprieve for many people living outdoors in Portland , which , like so many other cities , has been embroiled in contentious debates about housing affordability and the encampments .
“ The ask from the people living outside is , ‘ If we could just stay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ d be better able to clean up , we ’ d do better , we would have less impact on our city , ’ ” Toepper said .
After some initial confusion about whether and how Oregon ’ s stay-home order affected people without housing , Governor Kate Brown recently clarified that her directive is “ not intended to serve as an enforcement mechanism against Oregon ’ s unsheltered population.
” 19 Later in the evening , Toepper pulled up to a street in Southeast Portland where several tents were set up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to tent , calling out , “ Portland Street Medicine !
You guys doing OK ?
Anybody need any medical attention ?
” They were greeted by silence .
“ It ’ s eerie , ” said Toepper.20 They approached a beige RV .
A small dog leaped against its windows , barking .
The woman who came to the door introduced herself as Dee .
She described a long list of past and present health problems , including cancer , multiple sclerosis , and fibromyalgia .
Deyo asked if she ’ d @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She said no ; she didn ’ t have Internet access .
She ’ d heard that there was a virus going around but didn ’ t know the symptoms .
“ It sounds like you might be pretty high risk , ” Deyo told her .
When he explained that she should watch out for fever , coughing , and shortness of breath , she cut in : “ You ’ re talking about my life.
” 21 Throughout the evening , Toepper and Deyo passed out water , the assembled survival @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on what people said they needed—Motrin , antacids , sterile saline for a man who ’ d split his finger open and had been told he ’ d need surgery .
With many hospitals postponing nonessential procedures because of the pandemic , it wasn ’ t clear when that could happen.22 The next day , Toepper called me .
He wanted to underscore the fundamental point of street medicine .
It is , of course , to treat medical ailments , he said .
“ But to explain the work by the minuscule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t really capture it.
” Think about the microbiome , he suggested—the bacteria , viruses , and other microorganisms “ that keep us alive and sometimes kill us , but mostly keep us alive.
” Our microbiomes aren ’ t ours alone ; they ’ re shaped by our environment and who we come in contact with .
So are the nonbiological things that make us who we are , he continued .
The pandemic illustrates this interdependence in a particularly stark way .
“ You can ’ t keep a community healthy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least-healthy in mind and cared for , ” said Toepper .
“ We are not all living alone , you know ?
” 23

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Nation believes that helping readers stay informed about the impact of the coronavirus crisis is a form of public service. For that reason, this article, and all of our coronavirus coverage, is now free. Please subscribe to support our writers and staff, and stay healthy.
This article appears in the April 20/27, 2020 issue.
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On a recent evening in Portland, Oregon, Dr. William Toepper put on a paper surgical mask and made his way down a muddy road toward a row of shelters pitched beneath the fir trees. Smoke drifted up from a small fire tended by two women. One of them stood as he approached. “You doing OK?” he asked.1
“Yeah,” she said. “Got any food?”2
“We’ve got survivor kits,” Toepper offered, holding out a ziplock bag packed with socks, snacks, antibiotic ointment, and hand sanitizer. “I’ll take one,” the woman said. “I want to survive.”3
Toepper, a retired emergency physician, is the medical director of Portland Street Medicine, a group of doctors, nurses, social workers, and other volunteers who provide care to people living on the streets, in camps, or in forests in the Portland area. Volunteers go on rounds three days a week, providing acute care and basic medical supplies and offering to connect people with other services. In the past few weeks PSM volunteers have also been sharing information about Covid-19 as part of a multiorganization effort to protect Portland’s homeless population, estimated at 4,000, during the pandemic.4
In the field, Toepper goes by “Dr. Bill.” He’s known this woman, whom I’ll call Hannah, for about two years. Hannah is 40, and she has chronic hypertension. She’s on medication, and she’s feeling better, she told us—“except for all this crap going on,” she added, waving her hands. She was wearing blue latex gloves. “I’m just stressed out really bad.”5
Nearby, a man with a short gray beard poked his head out of a tent. He’d been following news about the coronavirus on his phone. Earlier in the day Oregon’s governor issued a stay-home order, closing some businesses and public spaces that many people without housing rely on. “Everything’s going to be shut down for two weeks now?” the man asked. “Probably more like six weeks, yeah,” Toepper replied.6
“How are we supposed to eat?” the man said.7 Current Issue View our current issue
More than half a million people across the United States experience homelessness on any given night, and the population faces acute risks from the respiratory virus. Many have underlying health conditions, including chronic lung disease, HIV/AIDS, and mental illness, as well as higher levels of stress, which can weaken the immune system. Even in the absence of a viral pandemic, people experiencing unsheltered homelessness have a mortality rate almost 10 times the general population’s and nearly three times that of people living in shelters. Access to sanitation facilities, limited under ordinary circumstances, has been further complicated as public spaces like libraries close and service providers suspend operations in response to the pandemic.8 Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung
The first confirmed death from Covid-19 in the US homeless population occurred on March 16 in Silicon Valley; since then, in New York City, at least two others have died, and dozens of people living in shelters have tested positive for the coronavirus. Social distancing is difficult if not impossible in shelter settings, though shelters across the country are taking various measures to try to limit the risk, including opening new temporary facilities to relieve crowding elsewhere. For those living outdoors, survival often depends on social bonds. “It’s a social cohort of people,” Toepper said, culturally and sometimes economically. “It’s tough to distance when your income depends on sex work or canning [collecting cans for the recycling deposit].” He continued, “My sense is that the overall risk of getting [Covid-19] is lower, simply because of the fresh air. But once it hits, it’s going to be less well tolerated.” And if it hits, “the virus doesn’t stay in the homeless encampments. It’s a threat to everyone.”9
Farther down the row of campsites, a woman named Julie asked Toepper about the shelter-in-place rules. “I was wondering if they’re possibly going to round us up and put us in camps, and if that’s the case, what’s going to happen to my dog?” she said. “That is certainly not the plan,” he assured her.10
Julie asked about the symptoms of the disease, and Brandon Deyo, a registered nurse and PSM volunteer, told her to watch out for cough, fever, and shortness of breath. “The hard part is that hospitals are really busy right now because of this, and there are sick people there, so there are risks,” he said. “But if you’re struggling to breathe, then you should go.”11
Earlier, Toepper asked Hannah what her anxiety felt like. He described his own as like a pit in his stomach. “Oh, man,” she said, “it goes right to my heart.”12
One of the foundational principles of street medicine is that providers meet people wherever they are. Offering regular care directly can avert unnecessary, expensive trips to the emergency room. It also helps build trust with people who might never visit a hospital or clinic, even if they’re critically ill or injured. “When somebody comes into a health care setting, if they’re not clean or they don’t communicate well or they can’t bring their service dog, it can result in quite traumatic experiences, so they avoid it,” Toepper said. “Our experience on the streets is that people are underutilizing health care.”13
Over the past few weeks, Toepper has been grappling with a question that’s both logistical and ethical: How best to provide street medicine, which depends on personal contact, during a viral pandemic? “The difficult thing about doing the work is that contamination measures, distancing, PPE [personal protective equipment]—it’s a little more difficult in some of these chaotic environments,” he said. Some of PSM’s outreach has been scaled back simply because many of its volunteers work in hospitals and are busier than ever because of the virus. “One of us is probably going to get Covid, and I don’t know how that’s going to affect us, to be honest,” he said. That prospect amplifies the need to protect not only PSM’s volunteers but also the people they treat.14
Several dozen street medicine programs operate in the US. Recently the Street Medicine Institute, which advises local community groups, released recommendations that outreach teams be limited to essential personnel and that they focus on reducing the “spread of the pandemic, while still providing the best medical care possible to the rough sleeping population.” In Portland, Toepper implemented new protocols for distributing medications and supplies to people, and he and Deyo wore masks.15
While Covid-19 complicates the logistics of providing care, the pandemic also makes the work more necessary. In addition to reaching an at-risk population, street medicine can play an important role in public health more broadly. “So much of this work, on a practical level, has always been ER diversion,” Deyo said. That mission “is much more amplified in its importance now,” given the need to focus hospital resources on treating Covid-19.16
Beginning on March 11, PSM worked alongside the Multnomah County Department of Public Health and others in an effort to reach as much of the city’s unhoused population as possible with information about Covid-19 and supplies, including hand sanitizer. At first, Toepper said, many of the people they spoke with seemed uninterested or suspicious, but over the course of a week, they became increasingly concerned. Like Julie, many were afraid of being swept up and imprisoned in shelterlike environments.17
Advocates argue that Covid-19 should not be used to forcibly move people into shelters. Instead, they’re calling for cities to house people in hotels or other private accommodations during the crisis, and they call for significant increases in funding for housing assistance. “It has never been more clear that housing is health care,” said Diane Yentel, the president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, in a statement. Advocates worry not only that the pandemic poses risks to individuals without housing but also that the economic fallout could push others into homelessness. The relief package passed by Congress addressed some of these concerns, providing $4 billion to assist homeless shelters and outreach workers, $1.25 billion for Section 8 housing vouchers, $685 million for public housing, and a limited eviction moratorium. (Governors in Oregon, California, and other states have implemented broader moratoriums on residential evictions.)18 Coronavirus Seattle Destroyed Homeless Encampments as the Pandemic Raged Dae Shik Kim Jr. and Guy Oron Workers Are Warriors in the Fight Against the Coronavirus Jeet Heer 12 Coronavirus Funds That Will Help the Most Vulnerable Shirley Ngozi Nwangwa
In response to the pandemic, Portland, along with other cities, decided to limit its regular sweeps of encampments, in accordance with new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which advised that clearing camps could “cause people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service providers.” This will be a reprieve for many people living outdoors in Portland, which, like so many other cities, has been embroiled in contentious debates about housing affordability and the encampments. “The ask from the people living outside is, ‘If we could just stay put for a little while, we’d be better able to clean up, we’d do better, we would have less impact on our city,’” Toepper said. After some initial confusion about whether and how Oregon’s stay-home order affected people without housing, Governor Kate Brown recently clarified that her directive is “not intended to serve as an enforcement mechanism against Oregon’s unsheltered population.”19
Later in the evening, Toepper pulled up to a street in Southeast Portland where several tents were set up. He and Deyo went from tent to tent, calling out, “Portland Street Medicine! You guys doing OK? Anybody need any medical attention?” They were greeted by silence. “It’s eerie,” said Toepper.20
They approached a beige RV. A small dog leaped against its windows, barking. The woman who came to the door introduced herself as Dee. She described a long list of past and present health problems, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, and fibromyalgia. Deyo asked if she’d been following the news about Covid-19. She said no; she didn’t have Internet access. She’d heard that there was a virus going around but didn’t know the symptoms. “It sounds like you might be pretty high risk,” Deyo told her. When he explained that she should watch out for fever, coughing, and shortness of breath, she cut in: “You’re talking about my life.”21
Throughout the evening, Toepper and Deyo passed out water, the assembled survival packs, and simple medications, depending on what people said they needed—Motrin, antacids, sterile saline for a man who’d split his finger open and had been told he’d need surgery. With many hospitals postponing nonessential procedures because of the pandemic, it wasn’t clear when that could happen.22
The next day, Toepper called me. He wanted to underscore the fundamental point of street medicine. It is, of course, to treat medical ailments, he said. “But to explain the work by the minuscule, tiny tasks you see doesn’t really capture it.” Think about the microbiome, he suggested—the bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms “that keep us alive and sometimes kill us, but mostly keep us alive.” Our microbiomes aren’t ours alone; they’re shaped by our environment and who we come in contact with. So are the nonbiological things that make us who we are, he continued. The pandemic illustrates this interdependence in a particularly stark way. “You can’t keep a community healthy if you don’t keep the least-healthy in mind and cared for,” said Toepper. “We are not all living alone, you know?”23


thenation--2020-04-03--Your Rent or Your Life

Your Rent or Your Life

As New York City streets began to empty during the second weekend of March , Inder Parmar caught a lucky break .
The driver opened his Uber app and snagged two back-to-back airport trips : One passenger was returning from the United Kingdom , another was fleeing New York to join family in Florida .
Afterward , the Uber app on his phone went dark , and drivers across the city settled in for a long pause .
Parmar estimates business is down about 90 percent .
He told me he had enough to get by , because his adult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , “ A lot of drivers , they ’ re hand to mouth , and they ’ re suffering.
” Uber announced it would offer two weeks of paid leave for drivers diagnosed with , or quarantined for , Covid-19 .
But Parmar said the company is rich enough to compensate all drivers who have been forced to stay home—especially since Uber drivers have watched their incomes plummet as Uber keeps altering the payment system .
Even before business dried up in March , Parmar said , he was frustrated with how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exposure to passengers who might have the virus .
“ Every few weeks we receive an e-mail [ saying ] we should give sanitizer to the customer , we should give wet wipes to the customers to wipe their hands , ” Parmar said .
“ But they are giving us $ 6 for each job !
How can I , with $ 6 , supply this many things ?
” The crisis facing rideshare drivers is part of a wider economic disaster among the coronavirus precariat : the gig workers , subcontracted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low-wage workers fueling Amazon ’ s e-commerce supply chain .
Some of these industries will crater .
Others might thrive off the online shopping boom .
Either way , the pandemic is pushing workers to make impossible choices between protecting their health and feeding their families .
In contrast to the collapse of ride-hailing apps , Amazon ’ s fulfillment centers are doing a roaring trade as retail shifts from brick and mortar to online shopping .
The company plans to add about 100,000 jobs ( on top of its current 125,000-strong workforce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yet Covid-19 is encroaching on its workforce : In late March , warehouse workers were reportedly diagnosed with the virus at facilities in Kentucky , Oklahoma , Michigan , Queens , and Staten Island—sparking outrage among workers ’ groups .
Athena For All , a nationwide labor and community coalition , has issued a petition demanding that Amazon both improve its health safeguards at work and provide full paid leave to all workers whose family lives are disrupted by the pandemic , even if they are not themselves infected or quarantined .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paid leave for people directly diagnosed with or quarantined with the virus ) .
Phillip Ruiz , an Amazon worker at the JFK8 fulfillment center in Staten Island , where a recent Covid-19 diagnosis emerged , decided to go on unpaid leave in early March , fearing that by working he would endanger his aging father .
“ This isn ’ t just on Jeff Bezos , even though he makes the ultimate decision , ” he said .
“ But I feel like management and the human resources department , I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they could make a decision to do the right thing and close the building down .
Or if they ’ re not going to do that , provide enough equipment that the workers could feel more than safe to work .
But the problem is they ’ re not.
” JFK8 worker Rina Cummings , an organizer with the community group Make the Road New York , said on an Athena For All conference call , “ People are still walking around , whether they ’ re carriers or not , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All of this goes back to not having paid sick time for everyone .
Because if you ’ re getting paid and if you weren ’ t feeling well , you wouldn ’ t have to choose between [ not having ] a roof over your head and coming to work sick.
” Ruiz , who has worked for Amazon for nearly two years , knows he could go back to work and get a raise on top of his current $ 18.70 an hour .
But it is not worth the risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day , if it ain ’ t safe , and we end up catching this , what ’ s the money to us ?
” In an e-mail , Amazon wrote that it has enhanced safeguarding practices , which include cleaning work spaces more frequently , staggering shifts , and requiring workers “ to sanitize and clean their work stations and vehicles at the start and end of every shift with disinfectant/cleaning wipes.
” All employees are also reportedly ordered to “ wash their hands often with soap and water for at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bathroom ; before eating ; and after blowing their nose , coughing , or sneezing.
” The company has also established a relief fund for subcontracted workers .
Zachary Lerner , director of organizing with New York Communities for Change , which has been supporting organizing efforts at JFK8 , said many local Amazon warehouse workers are nervous about being exposed to the virus on the job or during their commutes and perhaps even contaminating the packages that go out : “ There are questions [ about ] , should these warehouses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time someone tests positive , they might have actually infected hundreds of other workers within that warehouse.
” This week , workers at JFK8 , along with fulfillment centers in Chicago and the Detroit area , have staged walkouts to protest what they say are extremely dangerous conditions at work and a lack of transparency on Covid-19 infections in the workforce .
After the unprecedented protest for a safe workplace , the company fired one of the organizers of the walkout , Chris Smalls , who later wrote in The Guardian , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fall sick .
Amazon thinks we are expendable.
” “ Jim , ” who drives a truck for an Amazon subcontractor and asked to remain anonymous , considers his delivery company , one of many that exclusively services Amazon warehouses , a relatively good place to work—he recently got health insurance through his employer and his wages are on par with that of fulfillment center workers , around $ 15 to $ 17 per hour .
“ But when I look around the warehouse , ” he said , “ no one is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wearing gloves .
But it ’ s a crowded environment , so clearly , it ’ s not a good situation for containing any virus.
” He said he was afraid of putting customers at risk when he drops off bulk orders of sanitizer and other household basics : “ For me , it ’ s a personal issue of how do you continue to work for places like this and not spread the virus , [ and ] also keep the people who are running it accountable , because they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” He said he wants to keep working , in part because during this public health crisis , “ our delivery system is pretty essential.
” But as the public increasingly relies on Amazon ’ s supply chain , he said , “ we ’ re good at delivering things , and we ’ re also really good at spreading viruses while we ’ re doing it.
” Unlike Amazon delivery drivers like Jim , drivers of for-hire vehicles , including Uber and traditional cabs , are legally classified as “ self-employed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their rides through Uber or Lyft .
In New York , that typically means they do not qualify for unemployment benefits , workers compensation , or paid sick days , and they must finance their own vehicles and insurance plans .
A Roof Is Only the Beginning The Robots Are Coming for Our Jobs Augustine Tang , who took over his late father ’ s taxi business five years ago while he was taking care of his aging grandmother , decided to stop driving his cab for now , even though the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on his taxi ’ s medallion—an antiquated licensing system—are piling up and taxi earnings have been dismal for years .
“ I ’ m trying to do my part and not go out there , ” he said , particularly since he is unlikely to get many street hails .
“ I might be asymptomatic , and I don ’ t want to be the one who ’ s infecting other people as I ’ m working.
” The New York Taxi Workers Alliance is pressing the city for a bailout for taxi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of unemployment benefits and sick leave , along with financial relief for indebted drivers .
But for some older drivers , it may be too late .
“ I know a lot of drivers , and I speak to them daily , ” he said , “ and we all feel helpless right now… .
A lot of them—they ’ re hopeful , but the reality of it is , how can we bounce back from this ?
” Erica Vega usually cooks for a living , but now she is unsure how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her own family as Covid-19 ravages the restaurant sector .
She had been working on a catering job in the Financial District , but her employer , a temp staffing firm for restaurants and caterers , informed workers that there would be no work for the foreseeable future .
Speaking shortly after being told to stay home , she said , “ Unfortunately when you work in the restaurant industry , whether you ’ re sick or not , you have to go to work , because , to be sick means you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Vega does not have health insurance , and is supporting her multigenerational household , including an uncle with a disability .
“ It ’ s scary .
The world is a scary place right now , ” Vega said .
Vanessa Bain , a veteran Instacart shopper based in the Bay Area , should be well positioned to prosper from the restaurant business ’ s decline .
Demand for online grocery ordering is reportedly soaring , as people avoid in-person shopping .
Bain noted that Instacart ’ s pay—determined through a complex @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reviews , and various “ incentive ” bonuses—has risen significantly , countering a steady decline in earnings that sparked an Instacart strike last year .
Nonetheless , Bain said , “ there is obviously an immense danger in being in a grocery store all day long.
” Despite the pay hike , she is staying home ; with three elderly family members at home , she will not risk exposing them .
But among her fellow Instacart shoppers , she said , “ most people feel like they have to work because they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work or else they starve ; they have to work or else they don ’ t have a car ; they have to work or else they will be evicted.
” Bain and a group she helps lead , Gig Workers Collective , launched a strike against the company this week to demand fair compensation and health protections , including hazard pay .
The group is also encouraging fellow Instacart shoppers to apply for basic public benefits such as food stamps , along with unemployment insurance .
Filing unemployment claims would help test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AB5 law , which adjusts the legal definition of independent contractor status and could enable many gig workers to be classified as official employees and not contractors .
Though companies like Instacart and Uber have protested the law , even if the workers run into legal obstacles , their claims would still highlight glaring gaps in the social welfare system for gig workers .
In Bain ’ s view , the virus has revealed that “ the crisis is and always has been capitalism.
” For now , she added , “ What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work is precarious by its structure .
This is not a moral failing , this is a structural failing , and that it ’ s…not only fine , but essential that they rely on the existing social safety programs and networks.
” The California-based Rideshare Drivers United has called for immediate economic relief for drivers based on AB5 , including unemployment insurance and paid sick leave .
The group has also urged a statewide eviction moratorium and a basic income for all drivers .
They are demands for a workforce that too often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

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As New York City streets began to empty during the second weekend of March, Inder Parmar caught a lucky break. The driver opened his Uber app and snagged two back-to-back airport trips: One passenger was returning from the United Kingdom; another was fleeing New York to join family in Florida. Afterward, the Uber app on his phone went dark, and drivers across the city settled in for a long pause.
Parmar estimates business is down about 90 percent. He told me he had enough to get by, because his adult children had good jobs, but he said, “A lot of drivers, they’re hand to mouth, and they’re suffering.”
Uber announced it would offer two weeks of paid leave for drivers diagnosed with, or quarantined for, Covid-19. But Parmar said the company is rich enough to compensate all drivers who have been forced to stay home—especially since Uber drivers have been watching their incomes plummet as Uber keeps altering the payment system. Even before business dried up in March, Parmar said, he was frustrated with how little guidance Uber was providing about avoiding exposure to passengers who might have the virus.
“Every few weeks we receive an e-mail [saying] we should give sanitizer to the customer, we should give wet wipes to the customers to wipe their hands,” Parmar said. “But they are giving us $6 for each job! How can I, with $6, supply this many things?”
The crisis facing rideshare drivers is part of a wider economic disaster among the coronavirus precariat: the gig workers, subcontracted service workers, and growing ranks of low-wage workers fueling Amazon’s e-commerce supply chain. Some of these industries will crater. Others might thrive off the online shopping boom. Either way, the pandemic is pushing workers to make impossible choices between protecting their health and feeding their families.
Amazon Surges
In contrast to the collapse of ride-hailing apps, Amazon’s fulfillment centers are doing a roaring trade as retail shifts from brick and mortar to online shopping. The company plans to add about 100,000 jobs (on top of its current 125,000-strong workforce) and bump up hourly pay.
Yet Covid-19 is encroaching on its workforce: In late March, warehouse workers were reportedly diagnosed with the virus at facilities in Kentucky, Oklahoma, Michigan, Queens, and Staten Island—sparking outrage among workers’ groups. Athena (@athenaforall), a nationwide labor and community coalition, has issued a petition demanding that Amazon both improve its health safeguards at work and provide full paid leave to all workers whose family lives are disrupted by the pandemic, even if they are not themselves infected or quarantined. (The company has offered two weeks of paid leave for people diagnosed with or quarantined because of the virus.) Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. My Homeland Is Being Ruled by Terror. The World Must Pay Attention. Manny Maung Current Issue View our current issue
Phillip Ruiz, an Amazon worker at the JFK8 fulfillment center in Staten Island, where a recent Covid-19 diagnosis emerged, decided to go on unpaid leave in early March, fearing that by working he would endanger his aging father. “This isn’t just on Jeff Bezos, even though he makes the ultimate decision,” he said. “But I feel like management and the human resources department, I’m pretty sure if they wanted to, they could make a decision to do the right thing and close the building down. Or if they’re not going to do that, provide enough equipment that the workers could feel more than safe to work. But the problem is, they’re not.”
JFK8 worker Rina Cummings, an organizer with the community group Make the Road New York, said on an Athena conference call, “People are still walking around, whether they’re carriers or not, we don’t even know it…. All of this goes back to not having paid sick time for everyone. Because if you’re getting paid and if you weren’t feeling well, you wouldn’t have to choose between [not having] a roof over your head and coming to work sick.”
Ruiz, who has worked for Amazon for nearly two years, knows he could go back to work and get a raise on top of his current $18.70 an hour. But it is not worth the risk. “At the end of the day, if it ain’t safe, and we end up catching this, what’s the money to us?”
In an e-mail, Amazon wrote that it has enhanced safeguarding practices, which include cleaning work spaces more frequently, staggering shifts, and requiring workers “to sanitize and clean their work stations and vehicles at the start and end of every shift with disinfectant/cleaning wipes.” All employees are also reportedly ordered to “wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing their nose, coughing, or sneezing.” The company has also established a relief fund for subcontracted workers.
Zachary Lerner, director of organizing with New York Communities for Change, which has been supporting organizing efforts at JFK8, said many local Amazon warehouse workers are nervous about being exposed to the virus on the job or during their commutes and perhaps even contaminating the packages that go out: “There are questions [about], should these warehouses still remain open, because by the time someone tests positive, they might have actually infected hundreds of other workers within that warehouse.”
This week, workers at JFK8, along with fulfillment centers in Chicago and the Detroit area, have staged walkouts to protest what they say are extremely dangerous conditions at work and a lack of transparency about Covid-19 infections in the workforce. After the unprecedented protest for a safe workplace, the company fired one of the organizers of the walkout, Chris Smalls, who later wrote in The Guardian, “They don’t care if we fall sick. Amazon thinks we are expendable.”
A Bumpy Road for Drivers
“Jim,” who drives a truck for an Amazon subcontractor and asked to remain anonymous, considers his delivery company, one of many that exclusively services Amazon warehouses, a relatively good place to work—he recently got health insurance through his employer, and his wages are on par with that of fulfillment center workers, around $15 to $17 per hour. “But when I look around the warehouse,” he said, “no one is wearing any masks. Some people are wearing gloves. But it’s a crowded environment, so clearly it’s not a good situation for containing any virus.”
He said he was afraid of putting customers at risk when he drops off bulk orders of sanitizer and other household basics: “For me, it’s a personal issue of how do you continue to work for places like this and not spread the virus, [and] also keep the people who are running it accountable, because they’re not providing any kind of safety precautions?” He said he wants to keep working, in part because during this public health crisis, “our delivery system is pretty essential.” But as the public increasingly relies on Amazon’s supply chain, he said, “we’re good at delivering things, and we’re also really good at spreading viruses while we’re doing it.”
Unlike Amazon delivery drivers like Jim, drivers of for-hire vehicles, including Uber and traditional cabs, are legally classified as “self-employed,” even if they receive all of their rides through Uber or Lyft. In New York, that typically means they do not qualify for unemployment benefits, workers’ compensation, or paid sick days, and they must finance their own vehicles and insurance plans. More From Michelle Chen Starbucks Closes Its Ithaca Locations One Year After Workers Unionized May 25, 2023 Exploiting Prison Workers for Cheap Sheets March 10, 2023 Defund the Police Algorithms August 25, 2022
Augustine Tang, who took over his late father’s taxi business five years ago while he was taking care of his aging grandmother, decided to stop driving his cab for now, even though the costs for his insurance and the debt on his taxi’s medallion—an antiquated licensing system—are piling up and taxi earnings have been dismal for years. “I’m trying to do my part and not go out there,” he said, particularly since he is unlikely to get many street hails. “I might be asymptomatic, and I don’t want to be the one who’s infecting other people as I’m working.”
The New York Taxi Workers Alliance is pressing the city for a bailout for taxi and app-based drivers, including an expansion of unemployment benefits and sick leave, along with financial relief for indebted drivers. For some older drivers, it may be too late. “I know a lot of drivers, and I speak to them daily,” he said, “and we all feel helpless right now…. A lot of them—they’re hopeful, but the reality of it is, how can we bounce back from this?”
Feast and Famine
Erica Vega usually cooks for a living, but now she is unsure how to put food on the table for her own family as Covid-19 ravages the restaurant sector.
She had a catering job in the Financial District, but her employer, a temp staffing firm for restaurants and caterers, informed workers that there would be no work for the foreseeable future. Speaking shortly after being told to stay home, she said, “Unfortunately when you work in the restaurant industry, whether you’re sick or not, you have to go to work, because, to be sick means you’re not going to get paid.”
Vega does not have health insurance, and is supporting her multigenerational household, including an uncle with a disability.
“It’s scary. The world is a scary place right now,” Vega said.
Vanessa Bain, a veteran Instacart shopper based in the Bay Area, should be well-positioned to prosper from the restaurant business’s decline. Demand for online grocery ordering is reportedly soaring, as people avoid in-person shopping. Bain noted that Instacart’s pay—determined through a complex algorithm based on distance traveled, consumer reviews, and various “incentive” bonuses—has risen significantly, countering a steady decline in earnings that sparked an Instacart strike last year. Nonetheless, Bain said, “there is obviously an immense danger in being in a grocery store all day long.” Despite the pay hike, she is staying home; with three elderly family members at home, she will not risk exposing them.
But among her fellow Instacart shoppers, she said, “most people feel like they have to work because they have no choice: They have to work or else they starve; they have to work or else they don’t have a car; they have to work or else they will be evicted.”
Demanding Health and Safety
Bain and a group she helps lead, Gig Workers Collective, launched a strike against the company this week to demand fair compensation and health protections, including hazard pay. The group is also encouraging fellow Instacart shoppers to apply for basic public benefits such as food stamps, along with unemployment insurance. Filing unemployment claims would help test the boundaries of California’s new AB5 law, which adjusts the legal definition of independent contractor status and could enable many gig workers to be classified as official employees and not contractors. Though companies like Instacart and Uber have protested the law, even if the workers run into legal obstacles, their claims would still highlight glaring gaps in the social welfare system for gig workers.
In Bain’s view, the virus has revealed that “the crisis is and always has been capitalism.” For now, she added, “What I want workers to know is that…our work is precarious by its structure. This is not a moral failing, this is a structural failing, and that it’s…not only fine, but essential that they rely on the existing social safety programs and networks.”
The California-based Rideshare Drivers United has called for immediate economic relief for drivers based on AB5, including unemployment insurance and paid sick leave. The group has also urged a statewide eviction moratorium and a basic income for all drivers. They are demands for a workforce that too often slips through the cracks in labor law.
The Covid-19 crisis “is just pointing to the weakness of the whole gig-economy concept in the first place,” said RDU organizer Tyler Sandness. The ride-hail giants have flouted the traditional “social contract” of the American economic creed, he added. “You work for a company, you make that company profitable through your work, and in exchange, the company provides you with a decent income and the ability to take care of yourself. Well, these companies have severed that contract. They really don’t care whether or not we can survive this.”