Source: Green Party US

WASHINGTON — The Green Party of the United States Steering Committee strongly supports the use of vaccines, vaccine mandates and quarantines as part of a comprehensive public health effort to curb and eradicate the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has swept the globe since early 2020.

A comprehensive public health policy focused on prevention includes not only vaccines, but free access to personal protective equipment (PPE) including face masks, infrastructure upgrades to treat and filter indoor air, and quarantines and mandates when necessary — particularly for front-line, public-interfacing jobs such as schools and hospitals. To ensure the most vulnerable individuals and communities are protected, and provide parents and families the economic and social aid necessary to support collective public health policy, we support a comprehensive COVID Relief Plan such as that put forward by Green Party 2020 presidential ticket Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker, including:

• monthly relief checks
• eviction and utility shutoff moratoriums
• rent and mortgage forgiveness
• emergency Medicare-for-All
• universal high-speed internet access for both jobs and education

Additionally, patents must be canceled on all vaccine formulations to aid rapid global distribution and stop the rise of even more transmissible and deadly COVID-19 variants.

We understand why mistrust exists toward the for-profit, privatized health insurance system — a system that has produced current and historical injustices. At the same time, because of the severity of this crisis, we encourage hesitant individuals and communities to consult with medical professionals including nurses, doctors, and researchers to learn more about the science, safety, and efficacy of vaccines. We encourage conversations about how vaccines and related policies protect our most vulnerable community members, such as young children, the elderly, and immuno-compromised individuals.

Scientific data and experiments may be difficult to properly interpret and put into context without formal training, therefore we support the efforts of the medical community working with the public to help dispel mistrust and misunderstanding of vaccine science and other public health efforts. We also call for direct remedies to systemic, racial and class disparities in medicine through community outreach by qualified medical counselors, economic restitution and dialogue toward truth and reconciliation.

Additionally, the public must be provided with general science information and counseling around the links between pandemics and the environment: continued ecological destruction due to industries like fossil fuels and human encroachment on habitats all increase the possibility that deadly new viruses will evolve and turn into future pandemics, making climate action an important part of comprehensive public health policy.

Ultimately, we are calling for communities to join together and work toward a nationwide, transformative Green New Deal — such as what Greens have campaigned for over a decade — to truly address the health, economic, and environmental issues that are deeply interconnected and have exploded under the COVID pandemic crisis. Then we can empower individuals and communities to make the best decisions for their own circumstances.

MORE INFORMATION

The Green Party US Steering Committee (SC) serves as the party’s primary spokespersons and oversees day-to-day administration and operations. The SC is made up of seven co-chairs plus the party’s Treasurer and Secretary, for a total of nine members. They are elected by the Green Party’s highest decision-making body, the National Committee.

The Green Party is an independent political party rooted in American social movements and a global Green movement founded on Four Pillars: Peace and Non-Violence, Ecological Wisdom, Grassroots Democracy, and Social Justice.

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