The virus outbreak exposes inequities that emergency measures can’t fix, but long-term measures could

Numbers rule our lives, perhaps more during the COVID-19 outbreak than ever before. The numbers we do know are sobering, and the numbers we don’t know are frightening: How many days until widespread testing is available in the U.S.? How many cases will require long-term hospitalization? How many hospitals won’t be able to handle the patient load?

The number ruling over my life during the age of coronavirus is three. I have three kids, the youngest of whom is three years old, all home with me for the next three weeks (at least) while Durham schools are closed. Like the other numbers in my very lucky life so far, this particular number will likely pose no hardship for me. I am a freelance podcast producer on hiatus between production seasons, and my family’s basic needs will be met whether I work in the coming weeks or not.

I can be with my kids while they play in our backyard, do their online school work, try out new recipes, make crafts (most of which will be surreptitiously disposed of before the glue even dries), and, yes, watch movies. My husband is an emergency department health care provider, so it seems inevitable that he will get exposed. But still, I’m hopeful about our chances of emerging from this crisis with our health, happiness, and finances relatively intact.

Of course, not everyone has the numbers on their side. In a time of school closures and social isolation, how many families have safe access to green space, a computer or tablet with internet access to keep up with studies, food to spare for poorly-executed attempts to bake scones, endless supplies for art projects, and a Disney Plus subscription? How many parents can miss a paycheck … or two, or three?

When North Carolina officials made the difficult decision to close schools, they knew more than classroom time was at stake. Governor Cooper announced an Education and Nutrition Working Group to support families during the closures, and school districts and nonprofits are stepping in to provide meals for students in need — however, how students will actually receive these meals is not always clear. At least one company is offering free internet for students without home internet access — but will families be able to find out about, and take advantage of, this opportunity?

The ad hoc plans put forth by local governments, businesses, and nonprofits to help support students and their families during this difficult time are admirable and necessary. But, ultimately, many of these efforts will likely be proven inadequate and inefficient responses to the deep-seated inequities COVID-19 shines a light on. Inequities that will not recede, even when the virus finally does.

There are numbers we can’t control, and there are numbers we can. For now, I’m just trying to support the frontline health care worker in my family and keep the rest of my community from ending up in his emergency room. But when the crisis is over, I hope we’re all moved to greater action. I hope we earnestly explore policies — income supports for low-wage workers, a $15 minimum wage, or some version of the universal basic income — that could increase financial stability and opportunity for our families, while decreasing the need for government safety nets. So that maybe when the next crisis comes, our numbers will tell a different story.