Coronavirus Is an Occupational Disease That Spreads at Work
For both Democratic and Republican politicians, blaming social gatherings for coronavirus’s spread is convenient. But they’ve ignored or denied the central role workplace transmission plays in driving up infections. We need to treat coronavirus as the occupational disease it is — and that means restricting the power of business owners.
Employees of the New York MTA carry out overnight subway disinfecting and cleaning, and homeless services outreach during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic. (Marc A. Hermann / Flickr)
What is the one setting that accounts for most coronavirus transmission in the United States? Many governors believe they have the answer to this question. In countless press conferences and public statements, they claim that transmission primarily happens at social gatherings with friends and family.
The risk is particularly high, according to these political leaders, when the meetings do not happen in spaces that generate profit or serve important institutional functions. In contrast, US politicians have largely ignored, and even outright denied, the central role that workplace transmission plays in driving up coronavirus rates across the country.
Blaming social gatherings is politically convenient — it requires no restrictions on the power of business owners. In contrast, acknowledging that the coronavirus is an occupational disease highlights the need for public health interventions that are expensive to those in power.
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