Contrary to the judgment of NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci and our own Board of Health Chair Dr. Will Ross, the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County are opening back up today, Monday, May 18th. As of May 17th, the city has over 1680 confirmed cases and exactly 100 deaths, and the number of cases and deaths continues to rise. This is not what “flattening the curve” looks like, and we know it. The decision to open non-essential businesses is clearly based on economic, rather than scientific, considerations. Mayor Krewson and County Executive Page are putting everyone’s lives at risk by reopening prematurely. It should come as no surprise that working class people and people of color in particular are the hardest hit by this crisis in economic terms, as well as by morbidity and mortality. We urge you to maintain the practices of quarantine, social distancing, and mask-wearing whenever possible, and to know the risks.

Check out this list of demands for local governments to make in response to COVID-19 from DSA elected officials across the country—including STL DSA’s own Megan Green.