Since the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, reached the United States, it has been clear that our country is not ready for a public health crisis of this magnitude. Without universal healthcare or guaranteed paid sick leave, service workers, gig workers, the elderly, and the immunocompromised are facing a potential disaster.
Some companies are closing their stores and paying employees for all scheduled work through the closures. This is not the norm. People relying on their service, retail, or gig jobs are forced to choose between preserving their health and paying their rent. Without guaranteed paid sick leave, our Uber drivers, restaurant staff, and food delivery people continue to work among calls to self-isolate.
Service workers, gig workers, and hourly employees are left with a choice: Go to work and endanger yourself and others, or stay home and make no money. This choice becomes especially difficult for people who care for elderly or immunocompromised people either at home or at work. VICE asked nine workers who live with or care for elderly and/or immunocompromised people about their jobs, precautionary measures, and their ability to take time off.
Interviews have been edited for length and clarity. Some last names have been omitted for privacy.
Allie Kiekhofer, 28, Los Angeles, CA
During the day, I used to work at an elementary charter school as a one-on-one behavior aide until March 12th when our school closed as a precaution for COVID-19. They guaranteed pay for salary and hourly workers for at least two weeks, which is the current length of the closure.
On some weekends and days after my school job, I've worked (and continue to work) as an in-home personal care attendant (PCA) for a 25-year-old woman who has spinal muscular atrophy. I’m not an expert on SMA, but I know that she has very limited respiratory function. Just eating certain foods can give her a really bad cough. She also has a catheter, which I believe makes her immunosuppressed. I’m obviously also not an expert on COVID-19 and how it interacts with SMA, but I do know that it takes root in the lower respiratory system and disproportionately affects people who are immunosuppressed. I’m 28 with no underlying conditions—if I get sick, it will probably manifest as a cold. But if she gets sick, we both know it could be fatal.
I’ve been especially worried about bringing germs into her home. When school was still in session, I usually drove home, changed my clothes, and washed my face, hands, and upper arms or took a full shower, if I had time. I was about as careful as I could be, but I wondered if it was a mistake for me to be taking care of someone who’s immunosuppressed while I was working at a school.
Now that my school has closed, I have completely isolated myself from everyone except for my roommate, whom I rarely see anyway; the woman I work for; and anyone else who comes into her apartment (like her roommate, boyfriend, and other PCAs). I’m not even seeing my girlfriend of three years, and I don’t know when I’ll see her again.
When I arrive, I put my stuff in a certain corner of the client's house and wipe down things that I touch, like the doorknobs and my keys, right when I walk in. Not gonna lie—I’m really stressed out about the other caregivers [who share duties caring for my client]. I have no idea if they’re taking any precautions. I just picked up some shifts from someone else who got sick (unrelated to COVID-19), and I imagine I may be doing more of that. The woman I work for has told me that some of her other caregivers aren’t really taking precautions, which is so frustrating because I feel like it undoes my and her efforts. I’m really worried about her and don’t know if it’s even possible to keep the virus away from her, but I’m going to keep going to work, going straight back home, and staying as sanitized as I humanly can.