Some see a global pandemic and wonder, “How do I keep myself and my loved ones safe? How do I help out my neighbors and prevent the spread of this virus?” Others are hit with a cruel set of decisions. Whether to go to work and risk getting sick or infecting others, whether or not they can afford to skip work or to purchase the lengthy list of groceries necessary to weather the potentially long periods of social isolation that may lay ahead.
That’s some people. Others see dollar signs. Here are some of the ways corporations and individuals are profiting off the COVID-19 outbreak — often at a cost to public safety.