Our Response to Coronavirus (COVID19)
Guaranteeing our health requires more than physical distancing!
Support Social Justice Movements in
Puerto Rico!
At the Maria Fund we see Puerto Rico as a community - including our diaspora - made up of interdependent people who aspire to live a life with dignity and common well-being. Recent experiences and events, like Hurricanes Irma, María and the earthquakes that drastically impacted the South of Puerto Rico, have - while devastating - taught us lessons of solidarity and about out capacity to be of mutual support to one another, so that we can sustain ourselves, and our people.
Nevertheless, these events have also been unequivocal proof that there are inequalities that precede the disaster and policies that maintain them. The government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, as with other recent emergencies, is once again plagued by a lack of transparency, corruption, structural gaps, and punishment measures rather than guaranteeing our health in these times.
It is time to demand a comprehensive response that addresses the social inequalities in the country and puts prioritizing securing a life of dignity for the entire population, at the center – especially those that are most vulnerable.
It is time to demand systemic changes that not only guarantees our well-being during this period of pandemic, but also advances the co-creation of a future where we all live in solidarity and dignity.
It’s been 31 days since the start of implementation of social distancing and physical isolation measures by the government. We join the demands that the organizations in our ecosystem have been uplighting for weeks, those that include: Legal Aid of Puerto Rico, Let's Build Another Agreement, Federation of Teachers of Puerto Rico, Kilometer 0 , Health Workshop, among others. These organizations are holding the government accountable on multiple fronts, demanding that beyond this pandemic, our communities are guaranteed health, economic security, housing, food, education, transparency, employment, participation and more. Their demands are ours, too.
WE DEMAND MORE!
From Puerto Rico, join the National Day of Action in support of healthcare workers
Today, on April 15th, what would normally be the deadline to file payroll and pay contributions on our income (#TaxDay), we place particular emphasis on health claims, and join the demands of the National Day of Action in support of healthcare workers and providers. Health is a public matter, and the public system is ours - it is paid for with our money, and it exists to ensure we have the resources that guarantee a quality of life worthy of everyone. Resources must be available to the people, during this pandemic and beyond.
We demand decent employment conditions for health and essential service workers that guarantee their health and lives.
We demand that the government and employers provide the necessary protective equipment for front-line workers.
We denounce corruption and the mishandling of money and resources to test for Coronavirus. This money belong to the people.
We urgently demand more molecular testing. Testing is the best way to guarantee of health and safety for our people and our workers.
Only 0.27% of Puerto Rico’s population has been tested - that’s less than 1 percent. Using the CDC recommended minimum standard, we would have to conduct 21,000 or more tests to be able to make accurate predictions - as of today 9,209 Coronavirus tests have been done in Puerto Rico. This is the lowest percentage among all US jurisdictions, including Hawaii, Alaska, and Guam, and the US internationally is behind. Without evidence, we are blind. Without evidence, there is no health. Without testing, we cannot save lives.
Es momento de exigir más: más pruebas, más protecciones sociales, más recursos, más garantías de vida.
Organizations in our ecosystem continue to work to secure a decent life for our most vulnerable communities during this pandemic – and for the longterm. We support the demands and alternatives proposed by social justice organizations, community leaders and people with expertise in diverse sectors - those with shared values that have already drafted letters, reports, and proposals to advance public policies that serve the people.
