Because we have a weak social safety net, most people in this country can’t simply take off the two weeks necessary to stop this virus in its tracks. We need guaranteed housing, and universal paid sick and family leave.
The COVID-19 crisis makes it impossible to ignore what has always been true:
Our collective health and safety as a city and a society depends on the health and safety of the most vulnerable among us.
As a result of rampant inequality and a nearly non-existent safety net, the United States appears to be on the brink of an especially devastating virus outbreak. Thus far, the primary response has been to urge individuals to change their behavior, in ways that are often impossible for working-class people in Chicago and nationwide.
Stay home if you’re sick, though Chicago requires that companies provide employees with just five paid sick days, while the virus can incubate for up to 14 days. Stock up on supplies, though nearly 40 percent of all Americans don’t have enough in the bank to cover a $400 emergency. Practice social distancing, though an estimated 86,000 Chicagoans are living on the streets, in crowded shelters or doubled-up with relatives.
We applaud Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s decisions this week to close schools, bars and eat-in dining at restaurants. But unless we take action to guarantee healthcare, housing and income security for everybody, the virus is likely to continue to spread as it has, further stressing our already gutted public health system.
If we want everyone to stay home, we need universal social benefits that leave no one out…