The poor and the pandemic
As Tamil Nadu slips into an ‘intensive’ lockdown period, philosophical questions about social isolation remain unanswered. Do the poor have to come socially close so that the rich can socially distance themselves? Would self-isolation be possible without vegetable vendors, kirana store owners and delivery agents stepping out to work, putting their lives in danger?
This is the case across the world, not just in India. A recent poll by Gallup found that a substantial 71% of the population earning over $1,80,000 a year can afford to work from home during the pandemic, while only 41% of those with a salary below $24,000 can afford the same. Self-isolation, as it turns out, is an economic luxury.
Frontline workers in the so-called developed nations are up in arms, protesting having to work with minimal safety measures in place. Amazon workers in the US and Italy have stopped working as they were not provided with sufficient protective gear. Doctors in Pakistan, health workers in Kenya and food delivery agents in Brazil are also on strike. Most workers lack benefits, social security and comprehensive health coverage. The situation is particularly acute in the developing world.
An overarching global policy is needed to ensure frontline workers are covered in case of future eventualities. Interestingly, however, studies show plagues and epidemics can be good for workers at the bottom of the social hierarchy. An international study that analysed 15 major disease outbreaks found that wages went up substantially after the outbreak and continued that way for a good 30-year-period. After the Black Death ravaged Europe in the 1300s, French textile workers received three hikes within a single year.
An old tradition was ditched, and workers were allowed to wear the colour red, which was previously reserved only for nobles. If history repeats itself, the overhyped gig economy will survive the backlash of the outbreak. As in the case of the Black Death, can the world hope for a progressive change of social order when the Covid-19 pandemic ends? Only time will tell.