Page 2 - aruba-today-20220430

A2 UP FRONT
Saturday 30 april 2022
Continued from Front things would be essential
"What we're seeing now as for getting back to life with-
mitigation measures are out feeling at risk of infec-
being rolled back is there's tion. For example, 76% of
still great concern amongst Black Americans and 55%
Black Americans and His- of Hispanic Americans said
panic Americans around it was essential for getting
the risk of getting sick." back to normal that most
Seventy-one percent of people regularly wear face
Black Americans say they masks in public indoor plac-
favor requiring face masks es, compared with 38% of
for people traveling on white Americans.
airplanes, trains and other Last month, an AP-NORC
types of public transporta- poll showed Black and His-
tion. That's more than the panic Americans, 69% and
52% of white Americans 49%, were more likely than
who support mask man- white Americans, 35%, to
dates for travelers; 29% of say they always or often
white Americans are op- wear a face mask around
posed. Among Hispanic others.
Americans, 59% are in favor Lower support for mask
and 20% are opposed. The mandates and other pre-
poll was conducted before cautions among white
a ruling by a federal judge Americans may also re-
scuttled the government's flect less sensitivity towards
mask mandate for travel- what occurs in communi-
ers. ties of color. In a 2021 study
In Indiana, Tuwanna of mask wearing during
Plant said she sees fewer the early part of the pan-
and fewer people wear- demic, researchers found
ing masks in public, even that mask wearing among
though she said she has white people increased
been diligent in always from COVID-19. She said on behavior than numbers, on the plane, that means when white people were
wearing one. Plant, who is she plans to get vaccinat- she said, and people of col- something very different for dying at greater rates in the
Black, said she sees people ed as soon as she can. or are more likely to have someone who has access surrounding community.
treating the pandemic like "I called my children while had negative experiences to all of these new innova- When Black and Hispanic
it's over, and she wants the I was in the emergency with health care prior to tions than it does for some- people were dying, mask
mask mandate to contin- room," Plant said. "I didn't and during the pandemic. body who has no health usage was lower.
ue. know ... if it was going to While new medicines and insurance, who struggles to Berkeley Franz, a co-author
Plant, a 46-year-old sous get better or worse, I didn't vaccines have made it care for an elderly parent of the paper, said that in
chef, said she had some know. So it was the experi- easier to treat COVID-19, and their children, who's addition to residential seg-
concerns about getting ence for me altogether." Gounder said many peo- maybe a single mom work- regation that separates
the vaccine and took ev- Dr. Celine Gounder, an in- ple still face systemic barri- ing in a job where she has white people from com-
ery other precaution, such fectious disease specialist ers to accessing that medi- no paid sick and family munities of color, past re-
as cleaning and masking, and epidemiologist and cal care. Others risk losing medical leave," Gounder search has shown that
to avoid getting sick but re- editor-at-large at Kaiser their jobs or are unable to said. "It's just a completely white people can display
cently was hospitalized for Health News, said people's take time off if they do fall different calculation." ambivalence toward poli-
COVID-19. lived experiences deeply ill, she said, or cannot avoid In January, an AP-NORC cies that they believe most-
The experience scared her shape how they perceive things like public transit to poll showed Black and ly help people of color.
— she has a preexisting the pandemic. Anecdotes reduce their exposures. Hispanic Americans were "Anti-Blackness is really per-
lung condition, and knew and personal experience "When people argue that more likely than white vasive and has tremen-
family members who died can have a larger impact they don't have to mask Americans to feel certain dous consequences, both
in terms of the policies
that get passed, and what
doesn't," Franz said. "White
people can still have really
racist actions without see-
ing themselves that way
and understanding the
consequences. It's largely
below the surface and
unintentional but has tre-
mendous consequences in
terms of equity."q

In conjunction with
Dag van de Arbeid
(Labor Day), Aruba
Today will not be pub-
lished on Monday,
May2nd, 2022. We
will resume our regu-
lar printing schedule
on Tuesday, May, 3rd,
2022.