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“We are forced to live in these conditions where we are basically all on top of each other,” Ms. Guzman said. “There is no privacy.”
Almost everyone in the house has fallen with Covid-19. Ms Guzman believes the infections started when her daughter attended a small dinner party in June, after the initial coronavirus restrictions were lifted. Ms. Guzman had the worst and was hospitalized for nine days last summer. She needed extra oxygen for months afterward.
In wealthier, whiter neighborhoods, she says, people who get sick can easily isolate themselves and they often have jobs that provide them benefits and allow them to work from home. “We can’t do this,” she said. “We don’t have that luxury. And that says a lot about the inequity that exists and racism. This pandemic has made the disparities even clearer. “
With so many people at home, and so many people falling ill and missing work, money got tight. Utility bills skyrocketed, as did food costs, as quarantined family members relied on delivery apps like Postmates.
“Fortunately, we saved a bit, but it’s all gone now,” she says.
And yet, as Los Angeles officials analyze the daily rhythm of cases and deaths, looking for any signs the outbreak is slowing, Ms Rivera continues to hear sirens.
With each passing ambulance, Ms. Rivera pauses, wondering who’s sick this time. Her lingering effects of the virus include loss of smell and she is afraid of being re-infected.
Before getting on the bus for work each morning, she says a short prayer, asking God to protect her.
But she doesn’t leave everything in the hands of God. To protect herself, she always has extra masks, circulating them on the bus to those who need them.
Ana Facio-Krajcer contribution to reports.
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