Five big ways local government fumbled in its response to Covid-19

Apr. 20, 2020

At the time of publication, Pennsylvania has made its way into the top five states with the nigh coronavirus cases (simply beneath Michigan) and it's all the same in the elevation ten with the well-nigh Covid-19-related deaths.

For the Keystone State, Philadelphia is driving those numbers: In that location are over ix,500 cases and 370 deaths, according to the latest results from the Metropolis, and there is no firm end in sight.

And that'south merely capturing what we know. Like much else in Philly and elsewhere, race, income, zip code caste systems and biases consciously or subconsciously inform the controlling and information.

Much of the problem, equally wellness supply concatenation and emergency response practiced Dr. Nicolette Louissaint told Reality Check on WURD, is that "America is just not a civilization of preparedness."

Or, every bit tech investor/entrepreneur Marc Andreesen noted in a much-cited article terminal calendar week, "Part of the problem is clearly foresight, a failure of imagination. But the other part of the trouble is what we didn't do in advance, and what we're declining to do now. And that is a failure of action, and specifically our widespread inability to build."

Governments on the local, state and federal level often boast that they're writing playbooks, engaging in expensive trainings and roaming around in shiny new starting time responder command centers.

Simply, a moment similar this reminds us all that it'due south just smoke and mirrors—visual teddy bears to make united states feel safe or confident that public agencies know exactly what they're doing. Nosotros're finding out the difficult way that that's not the case in a number of areas.

We hear the word "unprecedented" a lot these days, and no doubt these are unprecedented times in many ways. But, does unprecedented have to mean unexpected?

Academics, scientists, documentarians and history books have talked up grisly pandemics since we can think. You tin find the occasional and rather scary fact-filled documentary from a few years back on nasty outbreaks merely by browsing Netflix.

Were some of united states not paying attending? Or, like the 2022 presidential race, we just kept putting our heads in the sand and convincing ourselves that "no f***in' way this dude wins" and he ended upward doing just that?

Of form, at that place are aspects of this contamination that are just, well, new. Information technology's difficult to get too difficult on policy leaders, because it's a stressful situation for everyone.

"Nosotros've collaborated to make very difficult decisions through this unprecedented crisis," SEPTA Full general Manager Leslie Richards told Reality Check. "But, SEPTA is used to crisis," as she ran through a list of large scale events that weren't actually crises, just big gatherings: like the 2022 DNC, or the Pope's visit, the NFL draft or the Eagles Super Bowl parade. "Nosotros've gone through some pandemic response protocols, just nothing could set up us for this."

What'south not "unprecedented" are the disinterestedness gaps, biases and systemic racism mixed with classism that has led to the disparity in Covid-19 outcomes.

Nationally, 50 per centum of coronavirus deaths are of people who identify as blackness. When race is known in Philly, African Americans make up 56 percentage of coronavirus cases, while white Philadelphians make up only 26 percent.

That racial disparity spills over into economics, besides. Over a quarter of the urban center is financially destitute, and many of the essential businesses and operations that are forcing some workers to get out and risk their lives are frontline jobs dominated by a heavy black labor presence.

Whether it's the lack of a preparedness culture, the inability to think outside the box, or a combination of both mixed in with the kind of casual ignorance of distressed population needs, hither'south a await at five big ways anybody from City Hall to Harrisburg fumbled on what, in many minds, seemed similar some of the easier, less "unprecedented" catches.

TESTING SITES

How is no one still not getting vexed and more openly concerned almost the diff spread of Covid-nineteen testing sites in the city? Philly still presents itself with a situation where testing sites are either non in the locations where infection rates are the highest or information technology's blatantly overlooked putting them in low-income, predominantly black nil codes. That'due south a problem. And then much of a problem it was that even Drexel University biostatistician Usama Bilal noticed information technology in relatively short gild and then cooked up a study on it: Residents in college-income hoods were six times more probable than lower-income residents to receive a coronavirus examination.

Yous can clearly see how on the current map of testing sites and the nevertheless strict criteria for who gets tested. The ten testing sites inside urban center limits seem to avoid depression-income black and brown neighborhoods, thereby limiting admission for those who need it the nigh.

How this has unfolded is a story of how City leaders and planners aren't thinking as creatively or holistically equally they have to for these types of events. Nosotros knew pandemics were northward ever a thing of if, they were e'er a when. It'south ever about the training.

Indeed, at that place is still a dearth of testing kits nationwide, a error that lies straight with the president and his minions. There's only so many kits that can go around. And, certainly, the City's heavy accent on using existing medical facility infrastructure is recognition of Philly as ane of those superlative x cities "getting wellness intendance correct" according to the Healthgrades National Wellness Index.

Still, emergency response planners, metropolis officials, elected leaders and others should take ensured that, at least, there was an attempt towards equity, to ensure that every population group was getting an equal amount of testing done.

Did City Councilmembers, Council President Clarke, included, request testing sites in their corresponding districts as a condition for their blessing of the mayor's $85 million dollar emergency appropriation? It seems clear that members similar Bobby Henon, Mark Squilla and Brian O'Neill got testing sites where they are. The obvious racial separate in testing site geography is not a good look.

SCHOOLS

With so many low-income and asunder students in the schoolhouse system, shouldn't it exist standard practise to have a rapid scale-up program in identify to ensure continuity of learning? Yet, hither nosotros are, all state schools closed and Philly full of kids at home, many not prepared and lacking broadband virtually 40 whole days after schools close down. Where is the dissonance about that?

Even a national researcher at the Academy of Texas, Paul von Hippel, couldn't help but single out Philly in his assessment of big city pandemic response: "Philadelphia'due south long pause worries me. We know from past research what happens when kids miss two months of school. It's very concerning. Philadelphia is already behind other districts in achievement. Can we really let that gap abound?"

Philly and the School District immediately jumped on food distribution for low-income students. And we take finally managed to get Chromebooks ordered and distributed to as many kids as possible. But fifty-fifty at present, many households are nonetheless non plugged into broadband or Wifi of some kind. Big cities everywhere else are already ahead,schools are but ramping up the online learning, and students are falling further and further backside—and they were already pretty far backside to begin with.

How exercise you not move urgently on this ane? How practice you farther risk public health and the city'south future by having kids get this behind? And, once over again, how are people non raging loud mad about that?

MASS TRANSIT

If yous're a metropolis leader you lot already know that so many people in Philadelphia rely on SEPTA to become around. In fact, Philly not only has one of the highest mass transit ridership rates in the nation, but it actually saw its ridership drib the least during pandemic, according to a Transit app written report out terminal calendar week.

That's even following a brief period, since 2018, where the regional agency saw its overall ridership dip, slightly. Knowing this many people rely on SEPTA and knowing that you lot've got a lot of depression-income frontline workers—from grocery stores to fast food eateries to medical and janitorial staff—who still demand to use the service, how exercise you lot not go some basics right?

SEPTA's mask-wearing guidelines are still disruptive. Omnibus drivers and railroad train operators don't feel protected and are complaining of risky work conditions that, according to Richards, they won't receive hazard pay for. So, how does the City and the State not boot in some extra dollars for take chances pay knowing they need SEPTA but as much as they need commencement responders?

SANITATION WORKER SAGA

So: anybody knows you have to get the trashed picked upwards … even during the apocalypse. What else exercise you do? Go out toxic, rodent-infested trash out on the sidewalk and don't do anything with it until subsequently the lockdown is done? Of course non. None of us have the tummy for that. And so we rely heavily on the Philadelphia Streets Department's corps of sanitation workers to do it, even with the elevated take chances to the workers themselves who are faced with the fifth virtually unsafe chore in America.

Nevertheless, sadly, the sanitation workers aren't really protected and fear for their lives. Local 247 wedlock leadership representing the workers, President Charles Harrington and Business Director Omar Salaam, suggested on Reality Cheque that workers are going to work infected, with no clear reporting of the number of infection cases in the Streets Department.

What's not "unprecedented" are the disinterestedness gaps, biases and systemic racism mixed with classism that has led to the disparity in Covid-19 outcomes.

Managing the city'southward trash, specially during a time like this, is absolutely essential. Doing it as correctly and properly equally possible ensures that, as a city, you're non adding on more than hazards on height of the public health take a chance y'all're already dealing with.

Which is why it's inexplainable and a bit unconscionable that frontline sanitation workers can't perform a notoriously hazardous job with all the needed protections—which non just keep them protected, only the families and neighborhoods they go back to each day afterwards work. "Ideally, our workers should be wearing the N95 face masks for protection," said Harrington. "Only, instead, all they're getting are just the bones surgical masks. That'south unacceptable." On peak of all that, they're not getting take chances pay either.

THE Economic STORM

When more than a quarter of the urban center is poor, and you know economic doom is right on the horizon, public leaders should make all accommodations to ensure the most distressed residents get at least several months of reprieve. Instead, those already dealing with routine economic destruction are primarily getting the suspension of utility cut-offs and protections against evictions and foreclosures.

There'south no real guarantee any of these protections are working, with reports of landlords defying eviction moratoriums despite the crisis. Then, why can't Urban center Hall get even more aggressive with the economic relief packages versus the low-fi nibbling that's happening now?

Where is the plan for ensuring people accept jobs to go back to, and for ensuring at that place'southward a longterm safety net to keep them in homes they can afford?

What are we doing to make sure getting back to work means anybody can get back to work?And, while nosotros're on the subject, Urban center Quango President Darrell Clarke'southward own proposal from a few months agone for a citywide "basic income" seems a scrap tailor-made for a crisis like this. We know the city and everyone else is strapped for cash, but why not push something like this to save populations from permanent disaster?

The urban center is always begging voters to approve bonds by election referendums for things like municipal building upgrades or it's ever set to infringe coin for things like police headquarter site refinancing . Why non something like this since governments everywhere will have no choice but to run upwardly deficit spending to fully recover?

How this has unfolded is a story of how city leaders and planners aren't thinking every bit creatively or holistically as they have to for these types of events. We knew pandemics were not an if, they were always a when. It'due south always well-nigh the preparation.

It'due south too late to plan in accelerate for protecting people from this pandemic. Only information technology's non too late to plan for our recovery. That must happen now if we want Philly to come dorsum—and be stronger than it was.

Charles D. Ellison is executive producer and host of "Reality Check," which airs 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mon through Thursday on WURD Radio (96.1FM/900AM). Check out The Citizen's weekly segment on his testify every Midweek at noon. Ellison is also principal of B|E strategy. Take hold of him if you tin @ellisonreport on Twitter.

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Source: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/philadelphia-coronavirus-response/

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