As part of Tory's coronavirus emergency plans, “ this is useful if you are super wealthy ''

Boris Johnson finally presented the UK's emergency plan to combat the ongoing coronavirus epidemic. And it only took a tweet to Labor MP Zarah Sultana to nail down the glaring omissions from the government plan.

"It is useful if you are super rich"

On March 2, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that countries were facing (unexplored) territory to deal with the Covid-19 epidemic, commonly known simply as "coronavirus".

On March 3, the British government product a 28-page action plan on coronaviruses. He estimates that "up to a fifth" of the workforce could be ill if the epidemic turned into an epidemic. according to at BBC News, Johnson acknowledged that it was "very likely" that the virus would spread and:

reiterated that the "most important thing" people could do was to wash their hands with soap and warm water for the time it took to sing Happy Birthday twice.

However, more useful advice is that people stay at home and s & # 39; isolate if they get sick and suspect they may have the virus. But this place millions people on low wages or on zero hour contracts in an impossible situation. Because like Mirror reported:

Statutory sickness benefit, worth 94.25 per week, is available for zero-hour workers, but only covers those with more than 118 per week – after four days of sickness .

The Department of Labor and Pensions (DWP) added to the concerns, declarer those "not eligible" for sickness benefits may Universal credit and / or the contributory employment and support allowance. "

Among many other problems with it, Universal credit is paid one month in arrears, people therefore wait up to five weeks for their first payment. As The Canaries reported, this has already forced some to use food banks and made others homeless. Thus, people could potentially be sick, unable to work and without any income under the current Conservative plans.

Sultana was about to point out that under this conservative emergency plan "it is useful if you are super wealthy":

If you have to isolate yourself because of the coronavirus, it is useful if you are super rich.

But what if you are in the working class and in the concert economy?

If you are not going to work, you cannot pay your bills.

It is not fair and it is not safe.

We need #SickPayForAll

– Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) March 3, 2020

This is something that many other people have also recognized:

Those of us have the privilege of being able to work from home #CoronaOutbreak what about those who don't have sick pay, 0 hour contracts #gigeconomy etc? At a time when the poor die earlier. Another example of health inequality and social injustice

– Kate Anstee (@ voice4change_) March 3, 2020

Stay home if you are sick. Excellent advice if you are a full time employee and you are fortunate enough to get sick leave. Today millions are not. They don't go to work, they don't get paid. #gigeconomy #freelancerlife https://t.co/1KNqU4CYqy

– Cheri Preston (@CheriPreston) March 3, 2020

#SickPayForAll

The hashtag #SickPayForAll trend started on Twitter. It highlights the impact of the coronavirus on the two million workers who are not entitled to sickness benefits, and the inequalities these workers face on a daily basis. According to the Congress of Trade Unions (TUC), this includes "1 in 10 working women and 23% of workers on zero-hour contracts".

The TUC mobilized to support workers:

Almost 2 million workers in the UK do not earn enough to qualify for statutory sickness benefits.

No one should have to worry about making ends meet at a time like this.

The government must act now. We request #SickPayForAll since the first day. #Coronavirushttps://t.co/ZRwGaduh6Q

– TradesUnionCongress (@The_TUC) March 3, 2020

Others, for their part, shared their work experiences without sickness benefit:

My other half is independent. He receives no sickness benefit, no vacation pay and always pays taxes and NI. Why is he not entitled to at least sickness compensation? 5 years ago, he injured his back and was suspended for three months. Used all of his savings and found himself in debt. #SickPayForAll

– Teri #Labour (@ Card007Teri) March 3, 2020

I will never forget the moment when an HR manager looked me in the eye and told me that it was not his problem that one of our chemotherapy members didn’t. Is not entitled to compensation for occupational disease. The statutory sickness benefit rates in this country are immoral and shameful. Time for #SickPayForAll https://t.co/s3Sx2Kf10X

– Michael Etheridge (@micketheridge) March 3, 2020

And significantly, even for those entitled to statutory sickness benefit, 94.25 per week will not cover rent, bills and food:

Does the Secretary of Health seriously say that people can isolate themselves with a PAS of 92 per week if they are eligible? Quite difficult to isolate yourself if you are evicted from your home because you can't afford the mortgage / rent, buddy.#SickPayForAll

– Cameron (@bitflipped) March 3, 2020

The coronavirus highlights a much bigger problem of low wages and inequality for millions of British workers. TUC's place on saying that "it shouldn't take a pandemic to resolve the inequality in sickness benefits". If the Conservative government does not act quickly to resolve this problem, the very real dangers of hunger and homelessness for millions of people pose a far greater threat than the coronavirus itself.

Image selected via British Parliament / Jessica Taylor