The Last Week Tonight host discussed how the coronavirus has exposed inequalities and injustices within the US

John Oliver has talked about the need for the US to use the coronavirus pandemic as a reason to make substantial systemic changes.

On his HBO show Last Week Tonight, the comic continues to talk remotely from “inside this white void”. But while he’s lucky to be able to work from home: 71% of Americans aren’t, and with more than one in 10 workers losing their jobs in the last three weeks, he took aim at how the government has been dealing with the fallout.

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Since the virus has started spreading, the government created the paycheck protection program, providing loans to small businesses as an incentive to keep their workers on their payroll. Trump has been singing its praises, claiming that any glitches were immediately fixed while bragging about its popularity.

“That is just classic Trump to try and brag about how in demand an emergency bailout system is,” Oliver said. “If he was captain of the Titanic, you just know he’d be saying: ‘I just want to congratulate everyone, these lifeboats have become so popular.’”

Oliver then detailed some of the “pretty substantial glitches” that have prevented businesses from getting the help they need. “The obvious problem is that if help takes months to come, that’s not going to save a business that’s set to go under in weeks,” he said.

The White House economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, has claimed the process is easy because his wife, a self-employed artist, was able to fill out a form without any problem. Oliver pointed out the obvious holes in this comparison before offering a $20,000 donation to a food bank if someone sells him one of her paintings for $10.

He also spoke about the problems facing so-called essential workers, such as those working at Amazon. In a “patronising” ad with “schmaltzy piano music”, the company claimed that its heroic workers were being treated well through the pandemic. “Many Amazon workers paint a much different picture,” Oliver said.

Reports have shown that there has been an inability to maintain physical distancing guidelines, a lack of protective gear and hand sanitiser and lack of time for employees to clean their hands. Oliver also showed footage of a worker complaining that Amazon is still selling non-essential products, such as dildos.

“Risking your life to get someone a sex toy probably doesn’t feel fair,” Oliver said. “There’s a reason 1917 wasn’t about two soldiers trying to bring Benedict Cumberbatch a dildo he wanted although, yes, the cinematography would still be impressive.”

Amazon claims that to offer paid sick leave to infected workers, they require a positive test. “Testing in New York is so scarce, Amazon’s plan may as well have been you get double pay and free healthcare for your whole family if you can guess what number Jeff Bezos is thinking,” he said.

Oliver stressed the need for all businesses to provide paid sick leave permanently while also exploring the health insurance issues many are facing. He played footage of an EMT who doesn’t have any insurance with his job. While thankful for all of the pizza being donated in recent weeks, he understandably wants something more substantial. “It’s like that old saying about pizza and sex: even when they’re bad, they’re still pretty good. and even when they’re really good, you still need fucking healthcare,” Oliver said.

Talk of a return to normality had Oliver saying: “Things need to change and not go back to normal.”

He continued: “It shouldn’t have taken a pandemic to prove that our unemployment system is a mess, that we need universal healthcare and that workers need benefits, the right to organise and wages that reflect how essential they really are.”

He also mentioned the problems the pandemic has shown us in prisons, how we treat the homeless and also the glaring racal inequalities it has brought to light.

“There is no better argument for a permanent welfare state than watching your government desperately try to build one when it’s already too late,” he said. “The real test here isn’t whether or not our country will get through this – it will – the question is how we get through this and what kind of country we want to be on the other side.”