By Anna I., Red Phoenix correspondent, Ohio.

COVID-19 has not gone away, contrary to what the capitalist media and government would have you believe. In fact, it is rebounding with a vengeance. Since the pandemic was declared ‘over’ by President Biden when he ended the national emergency six months ago, measures to contain the virus have been discarded. Most mask mandates have been abandoned, any sort of pandemic-era financial aid is gone, and the only way the virus is even monitored now is through wastewater. Meanwhile, COVID-19 hospitalizations have risen through the summer, painting a grim forecast for this upcoming winter. With the pandemic spanning across two administrations, one from each of the two dominant parties, we have seen that the ruling class will not tolerate life-saving public health measures if it means reduced profits. Now the proletariat has been forced into a new ‘normal’ where we are poorer, hungrier, and sicker. 

The COVID-19 response at the beginning of 2020, as half-hearted as it was, saw the boot lift ever so slightly from the neck of the workers. Student loan payments were paused for three years. Most states passed eviction moratoriums. SNAP (“food stamps”) benefits were increased. Some grocery stores and pharmacies even offered exclusive shopping hours for elderly and high-risk consumers. Public and private properties offered an abundance of free hand sanitizer for visitors. When many workers lost their jobs in the ensuing financial turmoil, stimulus checks, as tiny as they were, helped people stay afloat in the immediate short term. The workers, especially those deemed “essential,” were lauded for continuing to work despite the risks – as if it were a voluntary sacrifice and not motivated by the complete lack of ability to survive without work. Some of these “essential” workers were incentivized with increased wages, or hazard pay. But even these stopgap measures to aid workers made the capitalists absolutely livid, who bellowed a rallying cry to “return to business as usual.” But business as usual, like “law and order,” is simply coded language for “put the poor people back in their place” (so the capitalists can collect their dividends).

Some may push back, saying that the virus has been in decline for some time now. They could say that the new spike in hospitalizations is not that important. They may even defend the government’s cutting back of financial aid by saying that it is not needed any more. After all, we are constantly told that the stimulus checks caused inflation anyway. Those who would put forward these counterpoints must consider a few things. First of all, the virus continues to mutate and the newest strain, BA.2.86, is far more infectious than the previous Omicron variants. It shows signs of resistance to vaccines and medications as well. Without proper attention paid to this new strain, without vaccination drives, without free testing kits, who is to say how big this new wave of infections and hospitalizations will become? Now that most of the eviction moratoriums have ended, a surge of homelessness has swept the USA. American workers, wrung dry by the capitalists, need financial help! Finally, the myth that stimulus checks cause inflation is as insidious as it is false. The recent bouts of inflation in 2022 and 2023 have been largely driven by cost-push and demand-pull market interactions, which makes sense considering high rates of inflation were not seen in 2020 when the checks were written. Blaming inflation on working class gains is a lie, pure and simple. 

Working people cannot and should not shoulder the burden of public health, especially not for the profits of capitalists. COVID-19 must be contained and eliminated for good, which is not possible by only practicing individual responsibility. The capitalists and their governments must take measures to prevent the spread of this new variant by reinstating contact tracing, distributing tests and vaccines for free, and taking responsibility for ignoring this new surge. Workers must continue to demand a work environment free from the risk of contracting the virus. We must take extra care now to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities while we continue to demand public health protocols from the ruling class. Wear a mask, minimize physical contact with others, wash your hands, and get vaccinated if you are eligible.

For information on how to practice illness prevention, please visit the CDC website.

Categories: Health Care, U.S. News