Embrace the politics of community care

Dear Editor: Has the new coronavirus, COVID-19, magnified the Hudson Valley’s greatest weakness? In 2018, it was reported that Airbnb brought 184,600 guests and $31.9 million in revenue to Ulster County. This is no small achievement. It’s understandable that tourists from across the world recognize the Hudson Valley as a leading location to vacation.

However, as a health epidemic unfolds across the world, are we prepared for the influx of cases brought on by global tourism? Local hospitals (Vassar Brothers, HealthAlliance and MidHudson Region) received a grade of C or D from hospitalsafetygrade.org in 2019. The Hudson Valley is now faced with two serious problems: First, how can we protect our residents/service workers who are on the front lines? Second, how will businesses without millions of dollars in financial backing stay afloat if things get as bad as scholars and medical practitioners are predicting?

We must admit now more than ever: Tourism is not the solution to the economic hardships of the Hudson Valley. The stakes would not be so drastic if we lived in a country with universal health care and people were paid a living wage, but folks will downplay their symptoms in order to stay financially afloat.

We must look to one another for support. This does not mean pooling money into the luxury hotels and restaurants that are popping up like an uncontrollable bacterial infection. Our only option for stability is to embrace a politics of community care: Support your neighbors, watch each other’s kids, run errands for the elderly, be kind and careful.

Ethan Barnett Kingston