Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released the following statement on the racial disparity in the impact of the COVID-19 public health crisis and measures needed to protect frontline workers, the majority of whom are people of more color. Last week, the Public Advocate sent a letter to the de Blasio administration requesting racial impact data, and today, he held a press conference on the issue, which can be viewed here.
"Everyone in our city is suffering pain and loss in this pandemic, and I want to lift them up and offer my empathy and support, especially to the families of all backgrounds and socioeconomic classes who have lost loved ones to this virus. "COVID-19 does not discriminate, but the policies that exacerbated its spread and deadly impact clearly have, as suffering is compounded for black and brown New Yorkers. Not only are our frontline workers -the majority of whom are people of more color - at higher risk of being exposed to COVID-19, but the virus is itself exposing many deep and long standing inequities in our system that marginalize and therefore jeopardize black and brown communities. The data we have seen so far indicates that these areas are hardest hit, but we need to see further information on the racial impact of this pandemic - including the testing and positive case rates by race, as well as fatalities. "The administration needs to acknowledge the disparity and take immediate action to protect those on the frontlines and in under-resourced communities - through devoting additional resources to these neighborhoods and through restrictions aimed not only at flattening the curve but specifically protecting frontline workers. This includes closing some businesses previously deemed essential, including laundromats, auto parts stores, and hardware stores for one week, and intensifying both the cleaning regimen and social distancing efforts in stores that remain open - with multilingual signage explaining these measures. It also means restricting essential shopping to a local radius, and expanding the capacity for grocery and supply delivery, particularly for participants in WIC/SNAP. "We cannot continue the systemic failures that have exacerbated this crisis in communities of color while calling on those same individuals to further risk their own safety on the front lines of this fight."
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