As the COVID-19 (coronavirus) death toll climbs, so do summer temperatures across the United States, especially in the region known as the Sun Belt.
With heat indexes reaching deadly high numbers, communities will be seeking relief. But the impact of their actions will threaten some communities unequally.
According to Bloomberg “54 million people are expected to experience [local] temperatures [exceeding] 100 degrees” this summer. Heat advisories have caused COVID-19 testing centers in Texas, for example, to close early, impeding virus tracking, data collection, and access to urgent treatment.
Traditionally, indoor spaces such as bars, shopping malls, libraries, and pools have provided relief from the heat. But those spaces are either closed or operating at much lower capacity in hopes to slow the spread of the virus. Because COVID-19 spreads much more easily indoors, many Americans are smartly staying away.
So how can they beat the heat?
That’s not clear - but gathering indoors is not the answer if we want to beat COVID-19.
James McDeavitt, dean of clinical affairs at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, informed Bloomberg reporters of the danger, saying “as it gets really, really hot and as people start to move indoors and into confined spaces, we know that the virus spreads more in confined spaces than out in the open.”
While many business owners and cities worry pandemic-provoked lifestyle changes will depress local economies, low-income communities have another challenge to overcome: crime.
Higher temperatures are correlated with higher rates of crime. “When the climate spark hits the city, it makes the city more unequal tha[n] it already is. Climate change is a driver of inequality,” Kilian Heilmann, a University of Southern California research associate, told the Wall Street Journal.
The racial health disparities and income inequalities exposed by public health failures, government ineptitude, and climate stressors will only grow more intolerable. Record-breaking high temperatures torture those without reliable central air conditioning - usually low-income people.
That means more people are stressed and upset, and more people are out and about - especially because the pandemic means indoor spaces are closed - which leads to more conflict.
But all hope is not lost. University of Pennsylvania professor of criminology and sociology John MacDonald notes that with some additional ingenuity, equity efforts, and public funding, crime spikes can be prevented.
“From a policy perspective, I think it’s pretty clear that when there is a heat wave, there should be more attention to … where community crime prevention resources can be put in place,” MacDonald told the Wall Street Journal. “Even thinking of things like cooling stations or community-based resources that could be into place to try to prevent what happens when people are hot … would be a smart tactic or policy.”