A/HRC/45/44 are heavily underwritten by the ongoing availability of an “essential” workforce that enables people to reduce transmission by staying at home. In many States, a disproportionate number of people of African descent work in the service industry, serving as home health aides, carers and grocery and delivery personnel who must work full-time and use public transportation daily.14 They allow hospitals and health-care systems to focus on serious cases. In the United Kingdom, service personnel – such as security guards, taxi drivers, bus drivers and social care workers – were found to have a significantly higher rate of death from COVID-19.15 Globally, essential personnel mitigate transmission vectors and the burden on overwhelmed health-care systems. 19. In addition, States have declared workers “essential” without including measures to enable persons without a regularized status to perform essential roles. In Spain, domestic workers lacked personal protective equipment and cared for sick and elderly people at significant personal risk. Undocumented essential workers (whose legal status precluded employer travel authorization) navigated extreme risks of arrest, detention and infection. Some 30 per cent of domestic workers were subject to fines and harassment because they did not possess the necessary travel documents. They reported threats, being told to “go back to your own country”, the denial by police of their need to travel to essential workplaces, and fearing to venture out to buy food. 20. No special measures were taken for at-risk populations of people of African descent. Recent research confirms the increased risk of testing positive for COVID-19 among frontline workers, and indicates that health-care systems should develop additional strategies to protect health-care workers from COVID-19, particularly those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.16 21. Even in wealthy countries, the consequences of failing to properly assess risk left people of African descent particularly vulnerable. In the United States of America, African Americans disproportionately experienced food insecurity. In predominantly AfricanAmerican Detroit, some 20,000 children have had no contact with their schools since March 2020, including for food distribution or online learning.17 22. In some States, the risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic are even greater for people of African descent. In Brazil, significant displacement and instability continue throughout the pandemic, with ongoing removal of favelas, in part due to gentrification. High unemployment due to the coronavirus has also led to significant homelessness and the establishment of new favelas.18 In the United States, police targeting and violence against people of African descent have been witnessed despite the risk of infection. State actions proceed without public policy or public administration for the benefit of traditionally vulnerable groups, without social programmes or assistance from the Government for residents. 23. In the United States, a 15-year-old girl of African descent with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder struggled with the transition to virtual instruction after schools closed because of the pandemic. In May 2020, she was incarcerated for violating probation for “failure to submit any schoolwork and getting up for school”.19 She was released from juvenile detention only on 31 July, after an appellate court overruled the presiding judge. 20 In this shocking example of structural racism, an African-American child was held to a higher 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 6 See for example Scott M. Stringer, “New York City’s Frontline Workers”, Office of the New York City Comptroller, 26 March 2020. Public Health England, Disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19, p. 50. Long H. Nguyen et al., “Risk of COVID-19 among front-line health-care workers and the general community: a prospective cohort study”, Lancet Public Health, 31 July 2020 (preprint). Joseph Llobrera, “Food Security Impacts on People of Color Highlight Need for Aid”, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 13 May 2020. Arturo Rodrigues, “SP mantém remoções e vê nascer favela com ‘desabrigados da quarentena’”, Folha de S. Paulo, 11 July 2020 (in Portuguese). Joe Jurado, “Judge denies release for 15-year-old detained for not doing homework”, The Root, 21 May 2020. Jodi S. Cohen, “Grace, black teen jailed for not doing her online coursework, is released”, ProPublica, 31 July 2020.