We are currently living through an unprecedented historical event that caused a social uproar across the world. These times are not uncommon in history, but they sure create a lot of tension and fear in society, no matter how many times we have been through this. Aside from the emerging medical talk of creating vaccines, leadership protocol and healthcare failing due to lack of resources, what pandemics uncover is the social and economic divisions there are in society, which then exacerbates the transmission of the disease itself.

Firstly, it is essential to note that this is the first time in history where countries all around the world collectively agreed to the global experiment of lockdown. These lockdown measures are designed to slow the spread of the disease, relieve the burden on health systems and ultimately save lives – but it only looks as if they may be doing that. They may also be exacerbating social inequalities themselves

Unemployment across the world is reaching record highs. Millions of people are struggling to put food on the table and even have the threat of being evicted from their homes because they can not pay rent. For the estimated 3,500 homeless New Yorkers who live on the streets, including most of those lined up outside St. Bart's, worries about the disease are coupled with other new indignities. With so many closures of different buildings, it is harder than ever to find a bathroom they can use or a place to take a shower. In India, where a 21-day lockdown was pursued, wreaked unimaginable havoc on areas where more than a quarter of its 1.3 billion people live below the poverty line. It left many hungry and forcing jobless migrant labourers to flee cities and walk hundreds of kilometres to their native villages. With this catastrophic event, there is no way to mitigate the transmission of Covid-19 or any disease.

Another devastating reason why people can't choose to stay home is due to a labour system deeply divided along racial lines.⁣ 30% of white workers and 37% of Asian workers said they could work from home, compared to 20% of Black workers and 16% of Latino workers, according to a 2018 survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This discrepancy furthers by industry. Asian and White workers are more likely to work in management (which is easier to stay at home), while Black and Latino's workers were more likely to work in service and production.⁣ The truth is, to be able to stay at home, with enough food to be sustained, is a privilege beyond what words can describe.

Unquestionably, a pandemic, wakes people up and reminds us of the common humanity that we share. For once, everyone is going and suffering through the same thing, making us need to discard unnecessary prejudices and sing a song about the world itself. However, while that is always hopeful, we must also consider inequalities and injustices and address them loudly and clearly, in the hopes of prompting people in power to deal with them and to make sure they do not happen again in the future.