The COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent pandemic has already exacted a greater toll on the public health, economic and social wellbeing of Americans than any viral outbreak since the 1918 influenza. This memo attempts to summarize the known, specific impacts of COVID-19 on Latino communities in the United States.
This pandemic presents unique challenges for the Latino community, challenges that both governments and Latino community-based organizations will be charged with addressing. Precisely what form those take is still evolving, but in this memo, we offer our thoughts on those most likely and the possible questions they raise.
The memo delineates four general aspects of the health and economic crisis that are likely to have particularly adverse effects on Latino Americans:
- Because Latinos live in more densely-populated urban areas and in larger-dwelling apartments often far from parks and public spaces, Latinos will have a harder time achieving and maintaining safe social distancing;
- Because Latinos have higher uninsured rates, are more likely to lose their health insurance if Obamacare is curtailed or eliminated, and may be undocumented workers who fear visiting doctors, Latinos are less likely to have access to immediate, quality health care should they become infected with COVID-19;
- Because Latinos are over-represented among minimum-wage workers, are less likely to be able to telecommute, and often have little to no financial buffer to absorb short-term loss of income, Latinos are more likely to experience serious and potentially crippling economic shocks as a result of the pandemic’s shutdowns.
- In terms of miscellaneous effects, Latinos may face unusual hurdles when trying to vote in upcoming primaries or the 2020 general election, and Latinos who are either incarcerated or being held in border detention facilities may face unusually high degrees of contracting the COVID-19 virus.
At this early stage of the pandemic, we recognize that too little information is known to ascertain the full scope of the virus’s effects on Latino communities. However, history tells us communities of color, often under-resourced, tend to be affected disproportionately by national crises and often experience longer recovery periods. We encourage our partners to look at previous crises to help inform their outreach strategies.
