The novel Coronavirus has had a widespread global impact that has caused most of the world to slowly down and a few countries have completely come to a stop. These horrific outcomes seem to be especially affecting the minimum wage workers. The WHO has predicted that globally nearly 25 million will face unemployment, far exceeding the effects of the 2008 recession, a majority of them being those of minimum wage workers.
Many people’s futures still hang in the balance and the number increases every day that the virus continues to thrive. Inevitable policies such as social distancing and lockdowns are a luxury that people who get paid 2$/day can’t afford. In India alone there are millions of minimum wage workers and each one of them has either been forced to live inside or to operate within the limitations of a permit, or incase of other countries, risk themselves getting the coronavirus.
The importance of these workers to the global economy has been recognized by many agencies and countries, resulting in a rise in initiatives to help them. Countries have issued grants to people affected by the virus. The USA has also promised to give its citizens $1200 as a means of survival. India has eased its lockdowns and listened to its citizens in order to save the economy, all companies are now being allowed to function at 33% capacity as long as they do not fall into the containment zone.
However, new policies also come with their own problems. For example, most of the people enrolled for the $1200 have not received the amount weeks after it was promised. Not only has this caused people to live hand-to-mouth but some have been forced to become homeless as they are unable to pay the rent, which further increases their chances of being infected and causes the overall situation to worsen, resulting in the formation of a vicious cycle. In India, the second most populated country in the world, 33% working capacity is not enough as not all workers can be brought to work in an efficient manner that ensures all of them get enough to survive while maintaining the 33% quota.
According to the Brookings report, India had 73 million people living in extreme poverty, a whopping 5.5% of the population, a number which has predictably skyrocketed after the onset of the coronavirus and not only have been people been forced into leaving their work but also are being urged to return to their respective hometowns. For context, most minimum wage workers come from villages far away to settle in cities and find a better quality of life. Those same minimum wage workers now have to walk to their village, hundreds of kilometres away.