As we begin to embrace loosened
restrictions and enjoy pre-quarantine
activities again, let us not also begin
to forget the adversities unmasked by
COVID-19. While reopening is something
to be celebrated and welcomed, we
cannot allow it to re-entrench the
disparities brought to the surface in an
attempt to “get back to normal.”
As of May 29, over 100,000 lives,
disproportionately Black and Latino,
have been lost in the United States.
Hospitals across the nation are struggling
to accommodate the influx of patients.
The unemployment rate reached 14.7
percent in April—the highest since
the 1930s. The government, health
officials and media constantly send
mixed messages over what course of
action is best. Wearing a mask can be
interpreted as a political statement rather
than a health precaution as a result of
ideological divides. The pandemic did
not “break” America; it just pointed out
its pre-existing flaws.
The American health care system
was extremely fractured prior to
COVID-19 hitting the United States. Even
before the crisis began, the United States
had fewer doctors and hospital beds
per capita than most other developed
countries, according to Vox. With manyuninsured and subject to high out-of-
pocket expenses, many Americans...