Essential residents need a better virus testing system

For those of us who are teaching Marin’s neediest children during the COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom isn’t cutting it.

Some teachers have told me they’d rather catch the virus than keep it up. It’s that frustrating.

Of course, that can’t possibly be true, given the life-threatening nature of the disease. And in the phrase “be careful what you wish for,” in-person interactions with students seem fraught with the very real possibility of catching the disease.

That’s because COVID-19 has been so stigmatized with our poorer neighbors that many people have chosen either not to get tested, or not to report the results of a positive test.

They fear a positive test could cost them their job, which in turn could cost them their apartment. They fear they will not be able to feed their family.

All of these problems are fixable. We need to make sure people who test positive have a safe place to quarantine and that no one can lose their job for a positive test, even if they need to take time off.

A recent article appearing in the IJ (“Marin gets Canal community involved in COVID-19 response plan,” Aug. 18) represented a ray of hope as Marin Public Health Officer Dr. Matthew Willis, Canal Alliance Executive Director Omar Carrera and others described a new, united push to destigmatize the disease and get people needed help.

I have tremendous compassion for our low-income families, and want to do everything I can tomake sure they are safe and well cared for during this crisis. Many of them are the “essential workers” who make Marin County run. They work in our food industry, in health care, in transportation and in sanitation.

Yet they need to be shown: “Essential” does not mean they cannot take a day off if they’re sick. To the contrary: “Essential” means they need to take care of their health above all else.

“Essential” means that the rest of Marin County has their backs. We need to prove this to them.

I have some suggestions for all of us to address the problem.

When people test positive, they need to know that food will be delivered to their home. They need to receive sufficient financial aid to keep the rent payments coming.

They need to be given a safe place to quarantine, so they don’t spread the virus to other family members.

We need to destigmatize people who get sick. Instead of shunning, we need to recognize their bravery in coming forward and celebrate them as leaders who will help restore our community to health.

We need to have systems in place so that teachers will be notified when a child tests positive, rather than relying on families to report the illness. Teachers should not be unnecessarily exposed.

We need to find a way to bring equity to our educational system. While many students from wealthy families gather in “learning pods,” some children from poorer families congregate with under-paid babysitters who show no interest or ability in tutoring the children.

Putting our most needy children into Zoom classrooms is a recipe for failure. Districts have given low-income students used Chromebooks and Wi-Fi hot spots. But they are fraught with technical problems. Zoom classrooms also necessitate teaching children living in small apartments with other children. Because of background noises, the students cannot hear the teachers, nor can the teacher hear the students.

How will we raise people out of poverty? How will we end systemic racism? How will we make sure every child has a chance in life?

The key is education and an awareness that all of us, regardless of our economic status, are part of our Marin community. We need to take our blinders off and look at what is happening in our backyard.

Let’s rise to the challenge. Let’s show our essential workers we care for them. We appreciate them. We want to make sure they have good health, and their children have a good education.

Our society depends on it.

Insteadof shunning, weneed to recognize their bravery in coming forward and celebrate them as leaderswhowill help restore our community to health.