Oakland forms task force to address COVID-19 racial health disparities

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and other regional leaders announced Friday that they’ve formed an emergency task force to address what they say are the racialized impacts of the coronavirus and create state legislation to reduce health disparities for people of color.

Schaaf said the COVID-19 Racial Disparities Task Force will respond to what she said are disparate impacts of the virus among people of color, particularly blacks, Latino, Asian and Native American residents, including those experiencing poverty, immigrants, elderly people and people with disabilities.