In Latin America, coronavirus has laid bare extreme inequality in the region, and one symbol of that inequality is the red flag in Colombia. Impoverished Colombians hang a piece of red fabric outside their homes when they no longer have any food – it is a call for help and a reminder that many people live off what they earn from one day to the next and have no safety net. While some families can quarantine safely, others risk hunger and eviction if they stop working even for a day. Those who hang the red flag outside their homes depend on the generosity of others for survival.

In this book, 19 photographers from 14 countries in the region have captured the impact of coronavirus from intimate moments in quarantine with family to raging fires in the Brazilian Amazon. The photographers have witnessed floods, riots, and funerals and watched their parents, children, and siblings struggle with isolation, loneliness, anxiety. The photos, like the red flag, tell a story of desperation and hope – one in which we recognize the role of community and the human desire for connection.

Covid Latam Photographers: Rodrigo Abd, Johis Alarcón, Sara Aliaga, Eliana Aponte, Matilde Campodónico, Alejandro Cegarra, Federico Ríos Escobar, Ana Carolina Fernandes, Fabiola Ferrero, Andrea Hernández, Tamara Merino, Sebastian Gil Miranda, Pablo Piovano, Fred Ramos, Iván Valencia, Rafael Vilela, Daniele Volpe, Glorianna Ximendaz