Vulnerable Populations in the Context of COVID-19: Foreword to the Arizona State Law Journal Online Symposium
By Jennifer D. Oliva & Valena E. Beety. The widespread global transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19, has altered, injured, and ended the lives of numerous individuals across various communities and nations. It has been well-documented that certain long-neglected populations are particularly susceptible to severe illness and death from COVID-19 and, as a result, have been disparately victimized by the pandemic. The Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Sections on Law and Mental Disability, Indian Nations and Indigenous Peoples, Disability Law, and Poverty Law; the Academy for Justice, a criminal justice policy center at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law; and the Arizona State Law Journal recognize that now it is more important than ever to raise awareness about the legal and policy challenges facing…