The alarming spread of the new coronavirus across the United States clarifies the need for mass adoption of progressive policies.

That people who might be infected with the new coronavirus may go without testing because of the cost of testing, while companies might profit from selling testing kits, shows the inhumane tendencies of for-profit health care. The specter of 28 million uninsured Americans unable to access care or even diagnoses becoming potential disease vectors shows that health is not something that plays out at the scale of individuals. The most marginalized among us have benefited the least from the global economy that drew the virus into our lives, but are in the most danger. As the New York Times reports, the urban poor appear to be at especially high risk. Medicare for All could reduce overall risk and provide a huge step towards an equitable and just response.

The stock market has already fallen drastically, but the real economic impact for normal people is much more concerning. Mandatory paid sick leave would be one place to start and President Trump’s recent openness to it is promising, but it is still uncertain if it will be enacted or what it would mean. And, Andrew Yang’s policy proposal of a guaranteed income of $1,000 per month would be a godsend. In Austin, where SXSW has been canceled, service industry workers have pointed out that the reductions in income may be catastrophic. In response, there have been calls to expand the unofficial festival, to go out to restaurants or to buy concert tickets. All of this will heighten risk. But eviction, utility disconnection or skimping on food are also unhealthy. Vice President Mike Pence, the administration’s director of response, claims he is impressed with the generosity of employers so far, but the benevolence of the wealthy is hardly a reliable social program.

How could universal health care and universal basic income be paid for? Wealth taxes could provide much of the needed revenue. An increase in capital gains rates, a policy proposal that nearly every actual Democrat in the race suggests, could be instrumental as well. A 2 percent wealth tax on fortunes over $50 million would produce income of over $4 trillion annually. And even Joe Biden has suggested a capital gains and dividends tax increase that would raise half a trillion in revenue.

Lastly, we badly need competent progressive leadership. Imagine a president that would appoint the smartest Senator, Elizabeth Warren, to direct the response. An appointment of Sen. Kamala Harris or Gov. Jay Inslee would show that scientists rather than political consideration led the response. Even the urgency that Beto O’Rourke has shown in response to gun violence would be a vast improvement over the minimization that we have seen so far.

Hopefully our worst fears will remain unrealized, and it must be said that the ultimate impact of COVID-19 is still unknown. The call for a mass adoption of progressive policies is not a matter of political points. It is a demand that we value all of us, as humans, and an assertion that we will do our best as a society to protect each other. Doing so will necessitate small sacrifices by the very wealthy but will improve the lives of millions of Americans living in precarity. This epidemic may never materialize in the United States, but we already live with mass risk. Lead poisoning, food insecurity and natural disaster threats abound with no meaningful political solutions in reach. Epidemiologists warn that with global warming, increased globalization and persistent poverty this pandemic will not be the last. The new coronavirus is proof that it is time to center human dignity and stride without fear towards a new economy that reduces vulnerability and protects all of us. Our lives may depend on it.

Hirsch is a community organizer and policy advocate for the grassroots disaster recovery organization West Street Recovery, based in Houston. He is a graduate of the LBJ school of Public affairs.