AphroChic Magazine: Issue No. 11

Wellness
is high, they would be more careful. We should
demand clear and responsible communications
from the federal, state, and local governments.
AC: As we continue to see higher rates of travel
and indoor gathering, what can/should we do to
keep ourselves protected?
PCDC: At the individual level, it’s all about layers
— testing, wearing high-filtration masks in
indoor spaces (verified N95, KF94, or KN95 grade
masks), avoiding large crowds, using good ventilation,
employing air filtration, getting the
booster (and a flu shot!), seeing people outdoors,
and avoiding exposures before gatherings.
However, at the systems level, there’s so
much more that could be done. Our governments
should send out monthly free tests to all
US residents and N95 masks (KF94 for children).
They should fund fast and accessible PCR clinics
throughout the country, because PCR tests are
the gold standard, meaning they have far less
false negatives than rapid tests. Make reporting
test results easy and have data be well-organized
and accessible to the public. Set up more
wastewater testing. Communicate clearly and
frequently about the risks of the virus, especially
Long COVID, to the public. Get vaccines to
seniors and into communities. Everyone should
have paid sick leave. All buildings and public
spaces should have ventilation standards and air
filtration, especially in high-traffic areas.
AC: What are the specific policies that you feel
need to be enacted at the state and federal level,
and what are the specific steps we all can take
to put pressure on policymakers to address our
needs?
PCDC: We have a duty to protect our most vulnerable
neighbors and each other. This means
that we have to make public spaces safe for
people who are immunocompromised, disabled
(including those with Long COVID), elderly, and
more. We know that the pandemic has disproportionately
affected poor people, Black, Latine,
Indigenous, and people of color due to economic
factors and structural racism. With increasing
evidence that COVID impacts our immune
systems for at least eight months — contributing
to the rise in severe RSV and flu and overflowing
pediatric hospitals — this means we have
to do everything we can at all levels to reduce
COVID transmission. COVID is not the flu — it
is a multisystemic virus, the long-term effects
of which are unpredictable, regardless of one’s
age, health, or any other factors.
To this end, we need to mobilize at all
levels, both at the grassroots, at the levels of
our families and households, and at the level of
our government. Lots of people who continue
to care about COVID and understand its risks
have been feeling hopeless lately. But there is
so much hope and efficacy in coming together
to organize in real-life spaces. We don’t mean
going into unsafe public unmasked spaces.
We mean following the example of organizations
like Mask Mandate New York, which has
mobilized hundreds of New Yorkers around
mask mandates in public transport, by asking
them to call, email, and virtually testify at City
Council and Transportation hearings. They
succeeded in getting rid of NY’s terrible “You Do
You” campaign and in having the MTA [NYC’s
transit system] return signs recommending
masking. And they’re still continuing their
advocacy, with guides like the NYC Mask Guide,
conveying valuable information about which
public venues still enforce masking protocols.
If you are a union member, find another
person in your union and follow the example
of Academic Workers at the University of California
who gathered 500 signatures on an open
letter and drafted an article around public
health and safety (with demands for masking,
PCR test access, etc.). Through the course of
their strike, they have succeeded in increasing
mask use on the picket line, and bringing back
masks to organizing spaces. And they’re still
going!
Individuals can call and write to their
policymakers across all levels of government
asking for a return of mask mandates in indoor
settings, including schools, and access to testing
and masks. Individuals can ask their members
of Congress to support continued funding for
COVID health measures and ask that they do
NOT let the public health emergency expire.
In the coming year, we are advocating for
a return to mask mandates in all indoor public
settings, especially medical facilities and public
transportation. All levels of government should
provide access to free rapid at-home and PCR
testing, and the federal government should mail
out more than four tests along with high-quality
masks. Policymakers should support unionized
workers and start requiring or expand paid sick
leave policies.
AC: How can we connect with you and get
involved today?
PCDC: This work is difficult and tiring as an
individual. You must find other like-minded
people, who either live in the same community,
or work in the same workplace. Advocate
together around specific demands; providing
moral support to one another in the process is
essential. Specific steps can include writing to
and speaking with your local, state, and federal
political leaders, recruiting and educating
business interest groups to support these
policies, and enlisting the support of local
community organizations. Make small wins,
however tiny, and publicize them widely! You
are not alone — we are not alone — in wanting
a just and healthy response to the COVID-19
crisis — and together we can and will create that
response. Join or create local organizations to
advocate for COVID safety, or join us by filling
in our volunteer form and one of us will contact
you shortly.
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