50. Exiting the lockdown. Does social class matter?

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Many countries in Europe, including the UK, are starting to exit the lockdown. As cannot be otherwise, despite what post-marxist neoliberalism tells us, the risks and consequences of the exit are distributed unequally throughout society. Curiously, risk of infection is distributed more or less inversely proportionally to wealth. Immediate return to work is expected of those who cannot work remotely. In the UK, with 48 hours notice and without time for employers to take appropriate measures. No PPE is recommended, just make your own. Most white collar workers can still work from home, but blue collar workers are confronted with a sudden return to work with no protection. Their employers need them back, whatever the risk. And on they march, into the midst of the storm, to discharge their duties stripped of guarantees of workplace safety that were, until the pandemic, unnegotiable. The infection consequences will be known in a few weeks, social consequences are obvious already

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Location: Hereford, UK

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