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Many Americans are fighting over toilet paper and other home essentials, worrying about paying the rent and bills after losing their jobs and are worn out from trying to work from home, while also providing home schooling for their house-bound children.
Meanwhile, the uber-wealthy have taken to their yachts and private jets. Music and film titan David Geffen, who is worth $7.7 billion according to Forbes, exemplifies how the rich literally sail away from their problems. Geffen, on his now-deleted Instagram account, wrote, “Isolated in the Grenadines avoiding the virus. I’m hoping everybody is staying safe.”
Geffen’s tone-deaf message highlights the disconnect between the ultra wealthy and the majority of Americans. Rich people are able to leave their homes in Manhattan and flee to their summer houses in the Hamptons or to their get-away homes in non-congested rural parts of Connecticut.
The private jet market is doing a brisk business whisking the elite out of New York and other major cities. Jerod Davis, the owner of private charter jet company, said in an interview with Slate, “There are only 1,800 private jet operators, to my knowledge, in the United States. So believe it or not, sometimes you actually run out of private jets over the holidays. And that’s kind of what’s going on right now: There’s so much demand that they’re actually running out.” Meanwhile, the average American is told to stay indoors under self-quarantine.
The rich and powerful seem to get preferential treatment. Republic Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida was immediately tested for the coronavirus after being exposed to a person who may have been a carrier of COVID-19. After one NBA basketball player on the Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19, 58 tests were quickly given to 58 other members of the team and organization.
NBA athletes, actors, politicians and the wealthy have better healthcare plans and can afford high out-of-pocket costs. Billionaire Kenneth Langone, cofounder of the Home Depot chain, has connections for his own healthcare needs. Langone has a hospital named after him (NYU Langone Health) and is able to freely contact top medical and science professionals.
Gwyneth Paltrow, starred in the virus-outbreak movie Contagion. While on a jet, Paltrow posted a selfie on Instagram showing her face mask (at the time, regular people were advised that masks were not necessary). She wrote, “En route to Paris. Paranoid? Prudent? Panicked? Placid? Pandemic? Propaganda? Paltrow’s just going to go ahead and sleep with this thing on the plane.” She advised her Instagram followers, “Stay safe. Don’t shake hands. Wash hands frequently,” reminding them, “I’ve already been in this movie.”
The rich are also hunkering down in their bunkers. These are not your average basements of doomsday preppers. These bunkers are state of the art, fully equipped with special air-filtration systems and fortified to withstand any violence due to a breakdown in society. A year’s worth of food and supplies can be stored in bunkers that are as large as some homes and are sold for prices in the millions of dollars.
Empty store shelves are seen in a supermarket as people has been stocking up for food and other ... [+]
Regular rich people have been fleeing to states deemed safer than the ones they live in. The exodus has been so great that the Centers for Disease Control issued a travel advisory urging residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to refrain from “non-essential domestic travel” for 14 days—amid reports that the Tri-state residents are fleeing the coronavirus-ravaged region.
On “Meet the Press,” Dr. Deborah Birx, a specialist in dangerous diseases and the key member of President Donald Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force, complained about this migration saying, “We immediately saw cases rising out on Long Island and cases rising in southern Florida. What we’re trying to say to everyone is when this virus comes to your metro area, please stay in your metro area where your care can be provided because it’s spreading virus more quickly around the United States.” Florida and Texas state governors issued travel advisories, set up checkpoints and initiated screening of drivers coming from coronavirus hotspots. Other state officials are also establishing policies and systems to stop the flow of people coming into their states and spreading the virus.
Senator Bernie Sanders stated, “Half of our people are living paycheck to paycheck. We’ve got people who are struggling working two or three jobs to put food on the table. What is going to happen to them?” While the rich make their getaways, the less affluent are forced to deal with finding childcare, food and jobs.
