Alisha Álvarez, 28, said a final farewell to her father at his funeral Friday, asking her if she could have done more to convince him he did not have to work if he was afraid of contracting coronavirus.
José Roberto Álvarez Mena, her father, was one of thousands of essential workers who came to the rescue as California saw a surge in coronavirus cases after its economy partially opened earlier this summer. Álvarez Mena worked as head of maintenance for Mission Foods Corp. in Commerce, California, when he tested positive for COVID-19 on June 28th.
Alisha’s mother and older sister, who both lived with José Roberto, tested positive for the virus during the same period. While both women were recovering, José Roberto’s symptoms worsened. On July 4, he was hospitalized after having difficulty breathing.
He was then admitted the next day to the intensive care unit of the hospital. José Roberto, known to people in his Los Angeles community as “Beto Mena”, spent two weeks connected to a respirator until he died on July 20. He was 67.
“It’s the most painful thing, especially because you can not see them in person, you can not say goodbye. People have to remember that when they say they do not want to wear masks,” Alisha told NBC News. “This is not a political issue. This is hurting people and ruining their lives.”
José Roberto, who was a professional engineer, emigrated to El United States in the 1980s “to work and care for his children,” Alisha said, adding that he was the sole provider of the family. . “That’s why work has always been the most important thing to him.”
“My father never said no to helping people. He was always there for a family member, no matter what. He was the kind of man who would go to work on his free days because his boss asked him for help. would call, “said Alisha.
The Los Angeles Department of Public Health has ordered the temporary closure of Mission Foods Corp. on July 29 for failing to report a COVID-19 outbreak that affected at least 40 of its workers; they also shut down two other food processors. The company was allowed to reopen its facilities a day later.
Provincial officials are investigating the deaths of two Mission Foods Corp. employees, including José Roberto’s, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The family has criticized the company for failing José Roberto. Alisha said her actions were “directly negative.” One month before closing Mission Foods, José Roberto told his family that he was listening to the work of people who were sick, according to his daughter.
“He would come home and tell my mom that she’s so-so sick when someone else is down,” Alisha said. “But nothing was officially told to my father.”
Alisha said the company’s behavior was in line with what her father had experienced back in May when he received an official letter from Mission Foods warning him about potential COVID-19 exposure at work after a employee contracted the virus. Currently, both her parents are testing negative for the virus.
“There are a lot of essential workers and Latino workers at Mission Foods who are there to take care of their families who do not want to talk because they are scared,” Alisha said.
Mission Foods said that their “company-wide health and safety measures meet or perhaps exceed the health authorities’ requirements” and that they manually provide a note to each employee in their respective facility if the company is made aware of a confirmed case. .
Afraid of losing his job, “or being replaced by someone younger”
When California began to see a rise in COVID-19 cases, Alisha and her relatives began to worry about her father’s exposure to the virus at work, especially since he was suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure.
Alisha and her siblings would tell José Roberto, “you have rights” and encourage him to disclose his existing health conditions to his employer to return to work at a later time when coronavirus cases are not increasing.
“But he was afraid of losing his job or being replaced by someone younger,” Alisha said. “And for our part, we did not take the time to investigate what his rights might have been. I wish at that point, I would have gotten a lawyer – that would mean he would still be here with me alive.”
The Álvarez family held the funeral of José Roberto on Friday. About two dozen people appeared to a cemetery with face masks. People sat on every other chair to keep physical distance, because a priest gave a mass in the name of José Roberto. About 40 people voted for the service through a Zoom video conference.
“We had to put a limit on people attending the funeral and we are a big Latino family, so it’s challenging,” Alisha said. “But in a way, it also allowed us to grieve in a more intimate way.”
Alisha and her siblings helped her mother leave the house last weekend “simply because there are too many memories.” Alisha’s parents have been together for about 35 years.
The family recently founded the Beto Mena Foundation to honor José Roberto’s memory. Alisha hopes that the non-profit families of Latino will help those struggling to survive the pandemic, as well as other communities of color. Until now, they have been able to send basic medical supplies and thermometers to families with no access to COVID-19 tests in El Salvador, the birthplace of José Roberto.
Finally, Alisha hopes that the Essential Workers Foundation can help access bilingual labor advocates and food hosts, as well as other community events in Los Angeles and Orange County in partnership with other foundations.
The coronavirus has killed at least 5,136 people in Los Angeles County, half of whom are Latinos.
“These are not just numbers. These are people. They are mothers, fathers, brothers, uncles who are no longer with us,” Alisha Telemundo told Spanish last week.
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