From end to end in Los Angeles County, restaurant owners complain about the shortage of workers, which they attribute to preferring to receive economic aid from unemployment than to work. But also some complain that the rebound of covid – 19, has alienated customers in the last week and a half.
“Some workers are afraid of getting infected and I understand them, but others are conformists, they prefer to keep the $ 300 which gives them unemployment per week to work, ”says Ralph Verdugo, owner of the restaurant Buena Mesa in the city of South Gate.
Verdugo has tried to counteract the lack of work with an increase in wages. “I have raised the hourly wage to $ 17 and $ 18 and I give them overtime to work more than 40 hours. A waitress is earning between tips and salary about $ 1, 500 a week”.
Currently, you have , he says, thanks to the salary increase.
But now he has faced the problem that the clientele has decreased in the last week and a half since the number of covid cases increased again.
“Everything was very good. I survived the pandemic because I had my reserve fund and we managed to bring food to the houses, but you know what Latinos are like. Some are very scared with new infections. As a consequence, the clientele is not coming and sales fell by 50%. We continue to take extreme precautions. We gave antibacterial gel again when we entered, all of us who work in the restaurant did not remove our mask and I hired a company to come three times a week to disinfect. ”
When asked if all The workers have been vaccinated against covid, he says they had a meeting and agreed that it was a personal decision and he cannot give them the vaccine, but they were in favor of not removing the mask.
He himself has not been vaccinated against covid, despite the fact that last July he was infected and fell in the hospital.
“He hit me so hard that I thought I was dying. I was in the hospital for 7 days. ”
Even so, vaccination is not planned for now. “ I will do it since the vaccine is better. They took it out very quickly and it doesn’t give me confidence. The good thing is that I already have antibodies ”.
And why is he afraid of the vaccine. “Well, something happens to me and I have three children to take up,” he says.
The Los Angeles County Health Department reported than Thursday 25 July 3 were recorded, 058 new cases of covid, marking the third consecutive day with more than 2, 500 infections reported in one day. During the last four days, more than 08, 000 cases.
There is also in relation with last week.
Paul Peñuelas, owner of the restaurant El Perihuete in the city of Paramount, says that of 40 employees they had before the pandemic, now they have only been able to hire 25 because there is no one who wants to work. “This has forced us to cut our opening hours to the public. Before we were open from 8 am to 10 pm Now from 10 am to 8 pm ”
In addition to his wife and two older children than 25 Y 27 years have gone to work at the restaurant to counteract the lack of staff. And he talks about the case of a restaurant friend who has not opened his second restaurant Tacos El Negro , when he has everything ready, due to lack of workers. “He is waiting for this crisis of lack of workers to pass to open it.”
When asked if all his workers have already been vaccinated against the coronavirus, he says that most have, but others simply do not want to. “They don’t believe in the vaccine; others argue that they will become sterile. I put it on because I feel safer being with other people. ”
Patricia Cabrales, one of her workers who has not been vaccinated , says he has not done so for medical reasons as he suffers from tachycardia. “If the doctor tells me that I am not going to get sick with the vaccine and that I will be fine, I will apply it.”
Tere Weinblut from the restaurant La Góndola in the city of Beverly Hills regrets that people do not want to work and prefer to collect unemployment. “When you finally find someone, after 3 minutes they want to leave because the restaurant job is hard and it is walking on your feet.”
Comment that they are in need of sinks, hosts and people who bring food to the table. “We can’t get it and it’s urgent.”
Fortunately, customers have responded and are going to the restaurant. “People already want to go out because they are already fully vaccinated, but we don’t have workers and the client doesn’t know that and just wants to be well cared for when they go out to eat.”
Due to the intensity of covid transmissions – 19 and to avoid infections, from Sunday 18 July, the use of masks was made mandatory, for everyone from 2 years and regardless of vaccination status, in all indoor public places in Los County. Angeles.
Public health authorities recommend being careful in certain places where the coronavirus spreads easily such as closed places and indoors; crowded places with lots of people around and in close contact areas where people are talking, shouting or singing.
“For those who are eligible and have not been vaccinated, now is the time to get vaccinated because the three vaccines offer a lot of protection to those vaccinated and reduce the spread “, says Bárbara Ferrer, director of Public Health for the county.
Advises everyone to use masks indoors, wash their hands frequently, and avoid crowds.
Imposition of vaccines
Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo urged the cities of the county of Los Angeles to make vaccination of municipal workers mandatory.
In a statement, Gordo said such policies are essential for maintaining the health of municipal workers and the public who interact with them.
“I call Los Angeles County and its 88 cities within LA and beyond to join Pasadena in implementing a similar policy for their respective jurisdictions. ”
Specifies that the responsibility of the local government as an employer is to guarantee a safe work environment for all workers.
“We hope that our example will encourage private employers to adopt similar policies. Vaccination is the only tool that we know works. Let’s join together in this effort. ”
Pasadena policy, which has yet to be formally enacted, will require the 2, 000 City employees get vaccinated once one of the vaccines receives full approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Vaccines currently administered in the United States are under emergency clearance from the FDA.