Workplace COVID Outbreaks Hit Minorities Much Harder Than Whites

Black, Hispanic and other non-White workers face higher risks from COVID-19 in their workplaces than white employees, according to a federal study of 1,389 cases in Utah.

Non-White workers accounted for 73% of cases linked to 210 workplace outbreaks in Utah through early June, even though such employees made up only 24% of the workforce, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The disparities were evident in every sector analyzed, from wholesale trade and manufacturing to health care and white-collar industries. From early on in the pandemic, observers have noted that social distancing was a privilege not afforded to all Americans. People working in grocery stores, hospitals, delivery or public transit couldn’t switch to working from home.

“Systemic social inequities have resulted in the overrepresentation of Hispanic and non-White workers in frontline occupations where exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, might be higher,” CDC and Utah health officials wrote in the report.

Less flexible jobs and “unpaid or punitive sick leave policies” may discourage workers from staying home or getting needed care, the report said.

The majority of the outbreaks studied were in three sectors: manufacturing, construction, and wholesale trade. (The analysis excluded outbreaks in nursing homes, detention centers, and schools.)

The CDC recommended tailoring mitigation strategies to be “culturally and linguistically responsive” to communities disproportionately hit by COVID-19, and following existing guidance for workplaces.