Vol 120, Issue 4. September 29th, 2022.

08 09
THURSDAY
SEPT. 29,
2022
IS THE PANDEMIC DONE WITH US?
PUERTO RICANS ORGANIZE TO SURVIVE
DURING BLACKOUT
OPINION
JORDAN DELFIUGO is
a second-year
psychology major.
Two years since COVID-19 was
first reported in the U.S., the virus has
reportedly claimed over 6.5 million
lives globally, including over 1 million
American lives. According to Johns
Hopkins research, it continues to kill
an average of 400 Americans per day.
Despite this, the American government
and much of the general public
have adopted a flippant stance on the
virus’s impact, the most recent example
coming from president Biden.
In a Sept. 18 “60 minutes” interview,
when asked by CBS correspondent
Scott Pelley if the pandemic was
over, Biden replied “the pandemic
is over, we still have a problem with
COVID, we’re still doing a lot of work
on it, but the pandemic is over.” He
went on to say, “If you notice, no one
is wearing masks, everybody seems to
be in pretty good shape.”
Biden’s position is echoed by
nearly one-third of Americans who,
according to recent polls, also consider
the pandemic to be “over.” The loosening
of mandates across the country
suggests that many Americans are eager
to move on to a post-pandemic way
of life.
Biden’s claim is hypocritical
when considering how Democrats
previously criticized Republicans for their passive response to the pandemic. In
August 2020, House Democrats even created a report titled “A Failure to Lead:
The Trump Administration’s Disastrous Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic,”
in which they argued that Trump’s rhetoric directly contributed to the rapid spread
of COVID-19.
Earlier this month, the CDC approved an updated booster shot that is said to
combat new, more transmittable variants. In order to secure these boosters as well as
treatment and personal protective equipment (PPE), the White House is reportedly
requesting $22.4 billion from Congress for the fiscal year of 2023. If Biden is publicly
declaring that COVID-19 is “over,” why should Congress feel any inclination
to approve such a large sum of funds for its relief?
Not only are his claims contradictory, they also ostracize those who are particularly
vulnerable to the virus. People of color continue to be at a higher risk regarding
COVID-19, with new CDC data revealing that Black and Latine people are
more than twice as likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 than white people.
Likewise, individuals over 65 and those with underlying medical conditions
GRAPHIC BY MORGAN LEE/GRAPHIC CENTER
are at an increased risk of death. The CDC found that the COVID-19 mortality rate
is 60 times higher for people aged 65-74 than those aged 18-29.
Biden’s claim does hold some merit given the strides the U.S. has taken since
the start of the pandemic: the majority of Americans are vaccinated, the unemployment
rate has shrunk, and the death rate has notably declined. According to the
CDC’s data tracker, approximately 67.8% of the general public are vaccinated with
the primary series of doses, and 79.5% of the U.S. population has received at least
one dose. Additionally, studies continue to legitimize the efficacy of COVID-19
vaccines.
While it's evident that today, Americans are in a far different position than
they were in 2020, the virus is still a very real threat. In 2022 alone, nearly 225,000
Americans have lost their lives to the disease, making it clear that while we may be
“done” with the pandemic, it is still most certainly not done with us. Writing off the
virus entirely is a careless move that complicates current efforts to stop its spread. A
premature celebration of the virus’s end endangers Americans and can reverse the
progress made up to this point.
SAGE BLISS-RIOS
MACE is a fourth-year
sociology major..
Earlier this month, I entered the Oakland coliseum
for Bad Bunny’s anticipated “Un Verano Sin
Ti” concert. The lights shut off and he began to
perform “El Apagon” (The Blackout), Puerto Rico’s
reggaeton anthem. In the sea of light blue flags and
bodies jumping, we screamed “Puerto Rico ta bien
cabron!” (Puerto Rico is f—ng great!) The beat split
and a hypnotic voice sang, “Esta es mi playa, esta mi
sol, esta es mi Tierra, esta soy yo.” (This is my beach,
this is my sun, this is my land, this is who I am.)
Two days later, Bad Bunny dropped the 22
minute “El Apagon'” visual featuring “People Live
Here,” a short documentary led by Puerto Rican
journalist Bianca Grailu. In the doc, Grailu reveals
how Puerto Rico’s standing as a U.S. colony has allowed
for mass gentrification and the privatization of
an already vulnerable public power grid.
On Sept. 18, Hurricane Fiona made landfall in
Puerto Rico.
For us in the diaspora, our protocol began. We
called our loved ones on the island, donated what we could and then waited. In
limbo, we waded through social media posts and grappled with the reality of an
island drowning. My Titi’s (aunt’s) text, sent from her home in Bayamon, read, “it’s
lonesome and scary but [we’re] doing fine.”
By 1 p.m. the same day, el apagon had begun.
Hurricane Fiona, predicted to be ranked a Category 3, or a major storm, triggers
painful memories of Hurricane Maria — the Category 5 hurricane that devastated
Puerto Rico in 2017. Between then and now, Puerto Ricans have learned that we
depend on each other for survival.
In the months following Hurricane Maria, Puerto Ricans were left to battle
90 degree heat with no electricity. Bedridden people lacked access to medical treatment
and many elders on oxygen passed away. Puerto Rico’s
government undercounted deaths from Hurricane Maria and
announced the death toll at 64 people in December 2017.
One year later, researchers at Harvard, accompanied by
Puerto Rican colleagues, revealed an estimated death toll of
4,645 — making Maria one of the most deadly natural disasters
in U.S. history.
In October 2017, former President Trump visited the island
for a press trip. He stopped at Calvary Chapel in Guaynabo,
threw paper towels at the crowd, and later belittled the rising
death toll when he said, “I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but
you’ve thrown our budget a little out of whack.” A subsequent
investigation revealed that the Trump Administration had purposely
blocked aid and delayed $20 billion dollars in relief to
Puerto Rico.
Two years later, Puerto Rico’s own government abandoned
its people. On the heels of the FBI arresting top government
officials for corruption, The Puerto Rico Center for Investigative
Journalism exposed 889 pages of sexist, homophobic, ableist,
and racist messages between Puerto Rico’s former Governor Ricardo
Rossello and cabinet members in what became known as
“chat gate.”
In the 14 days after, half a million Puerto Ricans took to
the streets and successfully demanded Rossello’s resignation.
Bad Bunny and Residente led the protests in song with “Afilando
los Cuchillos” (Sharpening the Knives).
In absence of leadership following Hurricane Maria, Puerto
Rican people on the island and in the diaspora stepped up.
Countless community orgs distributed aid and the Puerto Rican
Psychiatric Association provided mental health care as well as
physical aid to isolated communities in rural Puerto Rico.
To help with reconstruction, I traveled to visit my family
and volunteer in Yabucoa for the two summers after Maria. As
we worked, our conversations with neighbors revealed the level
of care it took to keep the community afloat.
Despite the joy of returning to Puerto Rico, the island’s reality confronted us.
At the 2018 San Juan Pride Parade, my mom and I weaved through a sea of Puerto
Rican independence flags and rainbow flags. But dozens of pairs of empty shoes also
lined the parade’s plaza, Parque del Indio, their presence symbolizing the lives lost to
Maria.
The only difference Puerto Rico now faces resides in the U.S. decision last year
to privatize Puerto Rico’s power grid under LUMA Energy, a company with U.S.
and Canadian background. In a conversation with Politico reporter Carlos Polanco,
environmental attorney Ruth Santiago said: “History is repeating itself but now we
don’t have Hurricane Maria, but Hurricane LUMA.”
A historic number of blackouts have occurred under LUMA, sparking mass protests
throughout this summer in San Juan. Echoing the people’s demands this week,
Puerto Rico’s representative in Congress questioned why the 15-year LUMA contract
should be fulfilled when the country is seeing longer outages than before.
As of Sept. 26, 900,000 Puerto Ricans remain without power and 20 out of 68
hospitals in Puerto Rico are without power. Along with mass flooding and the loss of
homes, Hurricane Fiona has created a multi-billion dollar economic disaster, further
crippling an economy already buried in colonial debt.
Organizations on the ground are working and living within this reality. Taller
Salud, Techos Pa’ Mi Gente, and more have tirelessly distributed aid across the island
this last week. From the diaspora, grassroots groups like North Carolina for Puerto
Rico have organized fundraising events.
At my home in San Francisco, my family donates, we pray and we plan our trip
home to work in the reconstruction efforts once more.
In these times, Puerto Ricans shouldn't have to be resilient, we shouldn’t have to
solely rely on ourselves in lieu of U.S. imperialism, structural failure, and corruption.
Nonetheless we organize out of necessity, and we organize out of love. In light or
darkness, Puerto Rico is our island and Puerto Rico is who we are.
“Esta es mi playa, está mi sol, esta es mi tierra, esta soy yo.”
GRAPHIC BY MORGAN LEE/GRAPHIC CENTER
OPINION