Issues: COVID 19
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I. Introduction (15m)
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II. Reporting (70m)
- Issues: COVID 19
- Issues: Education
- Issues: Family Care
- Issues: Changing Cities
- Issues: Rural Communities
- Issues: Housing
- Issues: The Justice System
- Issues: Racial Inequality
- Issues: Immigrant Communities
- Issues: Disability & Inequality
- How Much Evidence?
- Data Sources on Economic Mobility
- Context and Definitions
COVID-19
THE CHALLENGE
When the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world in 2020, it immediately impacted the global economy. As communities sheltered in place to protect themselves from the novel coronavirus, millions of workers lost jobs, were furloughed, or had their hours cut. The long-term economic impact of related healthcare costs and social distancing measures (especially on industries that rely on large in-person gatherings) will likely continue to emerge in the years ahead.
WHAT ARE THE RESPONSES?
In the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, communities around the world engaged in mutual aid, sharing goods and services, as well as financial support, often through local civic organizations.
On a macro scale, national stimulus plans were a critical source of aid in countries around the world. Though the federal response in the U.S. included high spending, it was criticized for its uneven distribution of funds. Mass layoffs resulting from COVID-19-related closures plunged many into economic uncertainty. In response, states and cities created new loan programs for small businesses, placed moratoriums on evictions and utility shut offs, opened assistance programs to help people pay rent or utilities, and more.
School districts across the country have also found creative ways to address unequal access to learning materials for students whose families don’t have internet access at home.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
The economic toll of the pandemic — as well as the impact of the coronavirus itself — has disproportionately affected the United States’ Latino/Hispanic and Black communities. Latino and Black households have been much more likely to have experienced job or wage loss as a result of COVID-19 than white households and have been more likely to have trouble paying bills as a result. Women in particular have experienced the majority of the nation’s unemployment. When faced with proposed responses and solutions to COVID-19-related economic hardship, reporters should ask: what populations does this seek to serve? Is it those that were most affected by the recession? Has it been led or created with those impacted?