You are walking along the footpath and there is someone else walking from the opposite direction. To avoid collision there is a great dance of social awkwardness as you both move in the same direction. After a bout of feigned laughter and mutual hand gesturing the awkwardness eventually ends and you both carry on your merry way. That was pre-COVID-19, of course.
COVID-19, for all the ‘We’re all in this together’ sentiment, has illuminated the extent to which we are not: disproportionate numbers of BAME people are dying, and we see higher mortality rates in areas of densely-packed housing and in areas of long term, multi-generational deprivation. By itself, the term ‘interdependence’ masks entrenched and systemic inequality.
