ADVOCATES SAY COVID AFFECTING HIGH PROPORTION OF S.D.’S LATINAS
Latinas in San Diego County have been disproportionately affected physically and economically by the COVID-19 pandemic, a report discussed Tuesday shows.
About 60 percent of Latinas in the county work in at least one of three economic sectors most impacted by the coronavirus — education, tourism and retail — according to the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) report, presented by Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas.
Tourism includes arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services.
“The unemployment rate has also affected the Latina community in ways that are unimaginable,” said Casillas Salas, speaking as a representative of SANDAG’s board of directors during a press conference organized by the nonprofit MANA de San Diego.
The report says 80 percent of job losses during the pandemic are within the three sectors.
Latinas account for 14 percent of total county employment but 20 percent of employment in those industries.
Even before the pandemic, Latino workers suffered from lower-than-average wages, less access to health care and to job-related benefits, authorities said.
There are more than half a million Latinas in San Diego County, representing 17 percent of the population. Prior to COVID-19, nearly 1 in 5 Latinas were living in households below the poverty level.
About 70 percent of Latino residents live in ZIP codes with higher-than-average unemployment rate, 49 percent live in ZIP codes with higher-than-average COVID-19 cases, and 42 percent live in ZIP codes with both high unemployment and COVID cases.
When compared to the White population, Black and Hispanic populations are four times as likely to live in areas that have been impacted by COVID-19 and unemployment, according to a June 2020 report by SANDAG.
“It’s not enough to just be pointing out these numbers but to be thinking in the future, what we need to do in order to change the dynamic,” Casillas Salas said. “Let’s look at those employment sectors (and) how we can do some skills training to transfer people into other sectors that are a lot less vulnerable to pandemics like this.”
Latinos in general, many with essential jobs, account for about 58 percent of the county’s nearly 110,000 positive cases of coronavirus, according to data from the Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA).
Latina leaders at the press conference asked community members to not let their guard down and to continue to follow health recommendations.
“We know this year has been extremely difficult; we are all feeling the fatigue,” said National City Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solís.
“And because family means so much in the Latino community, we need to stay strong and united, stay home as much as possible, use those face masks and face coverings and to have the conversation about the vaccine,” she said, after the arrival of the first local doses this week.
Sotelo-Solís has participated in a vaccine trial, saying she wants to lead by example and inspire others to get vaccinated.
Among the leaders who joined Tuesday’s press conference were Oceanside Mayor Esther Sánchez, Assemblywoman Lorena González, Family Justice Center Executive Director Yvette López-Cooper and MANA de San Diego Executive Director Inez González.
The group plans to focus on college re-entry programs and other solutions to help the unemployed.
Inez González, who leads MANA de San Diego, said the group’s mission is to empower Latinas through education, leadership development, community service and advocacy. She said it is trying to reach low-income populations.
“We will work with our elected officials joining us today, and we welcome allies to join us as well. This is just the beginning of the work that we expect to do in 2021,” she said.