Covid: The Working Class Will Bear The Brunt
As we now find ourselves in what is being referred to as a second lockdown, the glaring inequality which characterised the earlier lockdown this year, remains.
The working-class continue to bear the brunt of this pandemic, as one quarter of 40 of the most deprived areas in the Six Counties, including the Andersonstown and Falls areas, and the postcode areas BT48 and BT47 in Derry, are suffering, with over 400 weekly cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people confirmed.
This is a stark contrast to the Six Counties most affluent postcode areas, only one of which, out of the 40 least deprived areas, has a similar number of confirmed cases as more concentrated working-class areas.
It is too easy for those in power to scapegoat working people, citing ignorance, ‘poor education’, and of course, living in a majority nationalist area, according to Edwin Poots, who “cherishes his Catholic friends and neighbours”.
If Mr Poots happened to be inclined to read the Belfast Telegraph, he would find the official statistics on public housing published on 19th October, which revealed that typically, Catholics wait twice as long as their Protestant counterparts to be housed. In addition to this, approximately 40% of the public housing waiting list identify as Catholic, in comparison to 27% identifying as Protestant. Perhaps this would shed some light on why many nationalist areas are suffering so horrifically from the effects of coronavirus, as it is not religion to blame for outbreaks of the virus, but rather, poverty, lack of access to adequate housing, unemployment, and social exclusion.
As certain statistics on the number of confirmed cases revealed, it is in the most economically deprived areas where the number of cases are greatest. The severity of the situation in Derry also reflects this, as the BT48 and BT47 postcode areas are both highest on the list of most affected areas, with the highest number of confirmed cases.
As government advice returns to “stay at home”, we must remember that not everyone is provided with access to a home, or even a safe place to stay.
While many work from home, for a majority of the working-class; including healthcare workers, retail staff, those in the remaining open hospitality businesses, cleaners and taxi drivers working from home is not an option.
We are told we are “essential”, and are then blamed for the rising number of cases. While the government scapegoats working-class people, their own failing and ever-changing policies continue to put lives, jobs and communities at risk.
