"The Great Equalizer"

In a recent Instagram post, Madonna called Coronavirus “the great equalizer”, saying that “it doesn’t care about how rich you are, how famous you are… what's terrible about it is that it's made us all equal in many ways -- and what's wonderful about it is that it's made us all equal in many ways.” While this may seem to be the perspective of many celebrities in their calls to the internet community to “rally” around their music and shared troubles, a lot of people are saying that these celebrities can’t relate. They talk about their difficulty in managing a life of isolation in their mansions with resources to keep them from losing money and food, but the pandemic is in no way affecting everyone equally.
Unemployment is on the rise in America, and according to projections, the economic freeze could cost 47 million jobs and send the unemployment rate past 32%. While the one time payment of about $1,200 is being made to help people cope with the current economic situation, it’s fairly clear that such a small amount of money as a one time payment is unsubstantial, and the money won’t be received for another three weeks. A monthly payment of $1,200 is nothing, and still leaves people suffering.
In many countries and areas around the world, people have little they can do to protect themselves from the virus. In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has issued a 21-day nationwide lockdown to stop the spreading among the 1.3 billion people. Upper and middle class people are able to stay at home and still have access to food, water, and income, but the same is not applicable for the 74 million people, a sixth of the population, that live in extreme poverty. In some slums, a single water tank might be the only water resource for 70 people, with only a communal tap shared between everyone in the area. In Dharavi in Mumbai, there’s one toilet per 1,440 residents, and only 22% of the community toilets have a water supply. Many of the people in these communities have no alternative but to go to work. They earn the equivalent of $1.84 to $5.97 per day, and don’t get paid if they don’t go to work. Grocery stores are only open for 4 hours a day, resulting in intense crowds where the disease is easily spread. Cleaners, being essential workers, aren’t given masks, gloves, or even soap when handling trash, be it in a hospital or residential area.
The virus is throwing the world into a crisis of suffering that is severely affecting impoverished communities where people have no choice but to work to avoid starvation. So, no, coronavirus is not the great equalizer. I would even argue that it’s the opposite—a crisis like this only further shows that money and resources can buy safety and distance from danger, and for those who have already caught the disease, can buy life saving health care.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/23/entertainment/madonna-coronavirus-video-intl-scli/?hpt=ob_blogfooterold

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/30/coronavirus-job-losses-could-total-47-million-unemployment-rate-of-32percent-fed-says.html

https://www.nytimes.com/article/coronavirus-stimulus-package-questions-answers.html

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/30/india/india-coronavirus-social-distancing-intl-hnk/index.html