From the start of the pandemic, experts recommended washing their hands more often to avoid getting COVID-19. Ironically, even this basic procedure is a luxury for many Americans.
About this writes the publication “The Guardian”.
“While medical experts continue to persuade the public to wash their hands and sanitize our surroundings, the recommendations are empty in communities suffering from tainted water, collapsing sanitation systems, or none at all”, – the publication said.
In many ways, it was the problems with water supply that caused the largest centers of the spread of coronavirus in the United States to be African-American communities or Native American settlements. Today, nearly a quarter of the total US population (77 million people) are faced with water supply problems. This is due to the fact that local and state authorities are not willing to allocate funds for the repair of old water systems. They are trying to pass the costs on to the population, but people are not able to pay bills.
The publication drew attention to the situation in the Navajo semi-autonomous Indian reservation. Here, about 30% of people do not have running water. They are forced to supply water in barrels. Others use wells or springs, which is extremely dangerous because groundwater is contaminated with abandoned uranium mines.
“The documented health effects of low water access on people in the Navajo people include higher rates of diabetes and other conditions that make people especially vulnerable to COVID-19”, – the report says.
Only by the end of May, about 5 thousand people infected with coronavirus were recorded on the reservation, which was the highest rate of spread of the disease in the United States.
“COVID-19 exposes the danger and immorality of decades of inadequate investment, unfair policies at all levels of government, and society’s neglect of the well-being of millions of low-income people. In fact, a policy that deprives colored people of access to drinking water is no different from any other acts of unjustified violence”, – the media says.