As the Wuhan Virus/China Virus/Covid-19/Coronavirus/Curse of Open Borders threatens to destabilize the world economy, you’ll be glad to know the Daily Mail proves once again the old adage coined by the late Joe Sobran to lampoon the New York Times rings true: “World Ends. Women and Minorities Hit Hardest.”

Looming crisis threatening the US: Black and Latino workers to be hit hardest by coronavirus as their hours are cut, while others must risk the virus with no insurance or stay at home with no pay, Daily Mail, March 16, 2020

The coronavirus outbreak is expected to have the worst impact on the black and Hispanic populations.

Donald Trump has enforced a travel ban and declared COVID-19 a national pandemic, banning gathering of more than 500 people and leading to the cancellations of major events, as more than 3,000 cases of have been confirmed in the US.

With self-quarantining actions in place, low-wage workers in the industries that rely on tips or have zero-hour contracts, are being forced to decide between immediately cutting their income by missing shifts without sick leave, or showing up to work and risking infection.

The travel and leisure and hospitality industries are suffering due to the outbreak, hotel employees have especially noticed.

The unemployment rate is higher among black people no matter the education level or age, and on average, the time it takes for black workers to obtain employment tends to be longer.

To add further injury, studies have found that lower-wage workers are ‘less likely to stay home if they are experiencing symptoms’, the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) senior economist Elise Gould has said.

A 2016 Yale study found that the poor are twice as likely to get ill from the flu than those who live in wealthier areas.

It comes as the country steps up moves to prevent the community spread of coronavirus and the number of confirmed cases increases.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recommended that companies allow workers to carry out their jobs from remote locations where possible. However Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) statistics show of people who could from home, a higher percentage of white people, 25.6 percent, (compared to 17.6 percent of black people).

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has advised commuters avoid riding the subway unless absolutely necessary. However the black and Hispanic populations are twice as likely to be in the lower-income group and those workers are less likely to have the option to work from home.

Speaking about workers who rely on tipping, EPI senior economist Gould said: ‘It’s a little bit of a snowball effect for that population. They are more likely to be living paycheck to paycheck, and will have a harder time because they have limited resources.

‘This is highlighting the vast inequality in this country. And some people are going to get hurt so much more than others. That hurt could be long lasting. We don’t know. We don’t know what’s going to happen over the course of this virus.’