How COVID-19 fractured our society
A common mantra throughout the COVID-19 crisis has been “we are in this together.” However, in important ways, we are not. Different people are paying different costs for both the coronavirus pandemic and the government response to it. Some of this is rooted in virology, as Pennsylvania’s nursing homes and personal care homes have proven especially susceptible to the virus. Other aspects of disunity are brought about by policies that reward some for not working while others bear the economic costs of shutting down.
These varying levels of risk exacerbate preexisting political tensions. It makes more sense to support lockdown measures when your paycheck is not on the line. This is apparent in the overabundance of caution shown by teachers’ unions, which can be generally described as advocating for a reduction in school services without a reduction in school funding. Similarly, Gov. Wolf’s elevation of facemasks to a panacea reflects his degree of insulation from the risks experienced by those in nursing homes and personal care homes.
One-size-fits-all policies cannot account for these widely divergent interests. General mitigation efforts, such as stay-at-home orders, have failed to protect those most in need of protection. Nursing homes and personal care homes account for 68% of all coronavirus deaths in PA, according to the PA Department of Health. These facilities were required by to accept hospital transfers, which increased the probability of infection in group homes. This is a level of failure that should constitute the nucleus of our civic discourse.
The need for strategic, evidence-based intervention is further complicated by the fact that Gov. Wolf is no longer accountable. Despite Gov. Wolf assuming emergency powers to “flatten the curve,” the legislature continues to be relegated to an advisory role months later. We need a return to self-government in Pennsylvania. Only then will public policy begin to reflect the varying needs and interests of the population. At that point, maybe a healing process can begin.
Charles Stewart
Smithfield