Restaurant Workers cite health concerns as fear for CA reopening

3 min readJun 29, 2021

Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

By Fernanda Frausto (She/Her/Hers)

Word Count: 581

Timestamp: 28 June 2021

As manager and cook at Maria’s Tacos in Pomona, Calif., Alfredo Torres is worried.

“I am scared for my family. I can’t live with myself if I were the reason we got infected, but not working isn’t an option…” said Torres, who has worked at the ‘mom and pop’ shop for 27 years.

Torres is not alone. He is among many restaurant workers who are concerned now that California’s economy has fully reopened, removing capacity constraints and reopening tiers for businesses, as well as enforcing looser mask mandates for vaccinated individuals.

In an informal survey of restaurant workers who are also full-time college students at campuses including: Cal Poly Pomona, Mt. San Antonio Community College, and the University of California Berkeley, all say they are worried about getting the virus.

“I don’t trust anyone, especially with the reopening, because there is no way to know whether people are still taking precautions…,” says Betsy Baruda, 19, of Berkeley, who is both a crew member at Chipotle and server at IHOP.

The health concerns voiced by restaurant workers are real, according to Dr. Kristen Bibbins-Domingo, vice dean for population health and equality at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, due to a lack of infrastructure to monitor customers vaccination status.

“….without [verification of] people’s vaccination status…vulnerable Californians who work in higher-risk settings, such as meatpacking plants or factories, [need to be] protected..”, says Bibbins-Domingo.

While vaccinations in California have reached a peak of 47,697,000 delivered doses as of June 24, many restaurant workers still remain unvaccinated and vulnerable.

“Within the workplace, not all of us are or are eligible to get fully vaccinated due to health reasons. I’m scared for my coworkers who have families to support,” says Wendy Chavez, 19, of Pomona, who works at Subway.

Also, restaurant employees anticipate a higher volume of guests now, which may alter the level of safety standards followed to safeguard both customers and employees.

On a county level, California departments of public health are still urging unvaccinated folks to be cognizant of the importance of exercising safety protocols including wearing a mask and social distancing.

California Restaurant Association President Jot Condie validates the struggles of restaurants, however stresses fully reopening as vital to the success of a restaurant recovery.

But workers are still concerned about the safety of full-capacity service.

“More and more people will come in…and because we’ve adjusted to lower capacity, we can’t handle such an abrupt shift…we might not be able to follow regulations at the same quality as before…”, says Kate Charco, 18, of Orange County, who is a server at Lawry’s Carvery.

On the other hand, some view the California reopening as beneficial to restaurant employees.

“To move on we need to return to normal, including giving restaurant workers back their opportunity to earn their income,” says Jacob Leyva, 21, of Rowland Heights, who is a frequent patron of fast-food and dine-in restaurants.

Across the state of California, more and more incentives to get vaccinated, which help assuage the fears of vulnerable populations, are being sponsored by Gov. Gavin Newsom, including entering more than 21 million vaccinated Californians into cash prize drawings, with 30 winners selected to receive a total of $1,500,000.

These incentives have supported a 22 percent increase in vaccinations from June 3 to June 9.

Despite increased vaccine rates, the risk of infection remains, and employees’ lives are still at risk, according to Charco.

“I do not think I will ever feel completely safe. Sooner or later, that will be the reason I leave this industry.”

Sources:

Restaurant Workers cite health concerns as fear for CA reopening

Written by Fernanda Frausto-Bonilla