Task Force Would Ensure Social Justice in COVID-19 Response in Pittsburgh

If approved by the Pittsbugh City Council, the proposed Greater Pittsburgh Covid-19 Racial Equity Task Force would work toward more equitable distribution of economic and public health resources, during the coronavirus pandemic and after.

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May 8, 2020, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


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"Two Pittsburgh city councilmen on Tuesday proposed a task force that would ensure the city’s minority communities receive equal treatment in government initiatives aimed at helping people during the coronavirus pandemic," reports Bob Bauder. 

The proposed Greater Pittsburgh Covid-19 Racial Equity Task Force would work to integrate health and social equity into the Covid-19 response and its aftermath, according to the resolution proposing the task force, and reach beyond the city to achieve those goals. "The task force would include black elected officials, university representatives, residents and other officials from the city and Allegheny County, according to the resolution. It will serve as a subcommittee of the Pittsburgh Commission on Racial Equity," according to Bauder. 

The public health outcomes of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania have mirrored other parts of the country, with Blacks seeing far higher rates of infection and deaths than the general population.


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