Pandemic Mutual Aid Efforts
As of today, there have been 4,860 confirmed cases and 111 deaths in Asheville/Buncombe.
The real numbers are likely far higher, but testing is less accessible than it was this summer. Mission Hospital is filling up.
This is worse than the summer spike spurred by the re-opening of hotels and restaurants. The risk of catching the virus is far worse than it was in the spring.
Nearly half of local cases are in the 25-49 age range. Latine communities are still disproportionately hit by the virus, accounting for nearly a quarter of all known cases while being 6.7 percent of the local population. This has been the case since the first months of the pandemic.
There are almost no actual restrictions in “Phase 3” and the few there are (other than a 11 p.m. closing time for bars) aren’t being enforced.
The Federal government’s negligence, and the state’s refusal to shut down have spurred the spread of the virus. With leaf season and colder weather it’s worsened again as tourists continue to visit.
The county health department does not name the location of outbreaks to protect businesses (rather than the public). Recent confirmed outbreaks at One Stop and the Charlotte Street Starbucks are certainly just the tip of the iceberg.
There is an eviction moratorium from the federal level, strengthened by an executive order from the governor. It forbids eviction for nonpayment of rent until the end of the year, but tenants have to file a form with their landlord. For more information, get in touch with UHOH at www.uhohavl.org.
We have to take action to keep each other safe.
Now is the time to be very careful. Don’t go to social gatherings. Talk with friends via phone or video. Don’t dine at restaurants. Please don’t go to a bar or gather for the holidays. Limit trips for supplies and stock up when you can.
There are simply no safe ways to get together right now. While many people have to risk exposure for work or to meet their needs, try to limit that as much as you can. It’s grueling and difficult but the winter months are going to be the deadly.
Mutual aid and support networks are now more robust than at the start of the pandemic. If you need emergency supplies, need help fighting eviction or dealing with a hostile landlord, or if you are trying to fight unsafe conditions at your workplace, there are groups that can help.
Here’s a list of local mutual aid and labor groups:
- Rural Organizing and Resilience (ROAR), ruralorganizing.wordpress.com
- Service Workers in Solidarity (SWIS), facebook.com/serviceworkersinsolidarity
- Appalachian Medical Solidarity, facebook.com/appmedsolid
- Asheville Survival Program, www.facebook.com/ASPdonate
- Rent and utility assistance, visit www.pisgahlegal.org and www.homewardboundwnc.org
- Tenant Declaration Form (pdf)
If you know someone who is struggling, or just looking for a source of reliable information, dial 211 or visit nc211.org. You can also “opt in” to 211’s texting platform to receive information updates and connection to resources by texting COVIDNC to 898211.
With the promise of vaccines on the horizon, it’s clear the pandemic will not last forever. But it is still very deadly and very real. We need to survive, our communities need to survive. Together, we can make it through.
