The past couple months have been an unprecedented time for the country as we grapple with the wide-ranging effects of COVID-19. Sadly, the devastating toll of the virus has hit close to home for Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.).
The St. Louis Post Dispatch reports that Rep. Waters has lost her sister to COVID-19. Waters grew up in a home with 13 siblings, and it is unclear which sister had died as no name was given. Her sister was elderly, as Waters had alluded to her being in a nursing home when she contracted the disease. Over two weeks ago, Waters revealed that her sister was in a hospital dying from the virus in a moving speech on the House floor. She dedicated legislation introduced to provide relief from the virus to her sister. A service will be held in St. Louis, where Waters is originally from.
As of Monday, there have been more than 1.3 million cases of COVID-19 in America with 80,000 deaths. Some states have already begun easing restrictions despite there being no significant downturn in case numbers. In Georgia, more than 80 percent of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 were black people. Despite that, the state still chose to reopen two weeks ago. The president himself has continued to push for the country to re-open even as more people in his administration contract the disease.
Rep. Waters has been particularly critical of the president’s response to the pandemic, frequently calling out his inane decisions on Twitter. She has also been one of the key figures behind the economic relief measures for civilians and small business. She’s proposed a plan that would provide $175 billion in relief for renters and homeowners. Our thoughts are with her during this difficult time.