The Latino Community in the Time of COVID-19: Prospects for an Equitable Recovery One Year Later
The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed the Latino community.
In the 16 months since the spread of COVID-19 was declared a national emergency on March 13, 2020, more than 600,000 Americans have died of the disease, at least 109,000 of whom were Latino. Though a vaccine is now available, racial and ethnic disparities in wealth, housing, and health resulting from the virus remain, risking long-term consequences for a community still healing from the lasting impacts of the 2008 recession. The nation’s pandemic recovery presents an opportunity to emerge from this crisis equitably. Urgent action at all levels of government will continue to be required, notwithstanding important policy interventions made to date. This report presents an assessment of the unmet policy and implementation needs to ensure sustained progress toward an equitable recovery.
