CHULA VISTA, Calif.; (KGTV) – As ICU capabilities decline, coronavirus-positive cases within the local Latino community remain high.
Leaders within the Latino community are now urging people to stay at home during the holidays. Christmas is just days away, it’s festive time for family, a joyful time of gathering. But Nancy Maldonado with the Chicano Federation says this year, that can’t happen.
“I get it, it’s sad, but it’s needed, and it’s what we need to do right now,” Maldonado said.
The percentage of Latino San Diegans who test positive for COVID-19 is relatively high. Although they make up 34% of the county’s population, Latinos make up nearly 60% of all advanced COVID cases. With ICU space now very limited, Maldonado says they can’t afford to add to those statistics.
“Latinos have been hit hard because of overproduction in frontline jobs, because of full housing, and because of a number of different factors,” Maldonado said. “What we’re seeing right now is the number of people gathering since Thanksgiving Day, and we don’t want those numbers to increase.”
Last week, ABC 10News reported that the waiting times at the unlicensed COVID test site at South Chula Vista Library were hours. But starting Sunday, the county changed the site into a job-only one. The goal is to keep people from going out and gathering at the hot COVID-19 site.
South Bay, home to many Latinos, has been hit hard by the virus. Maldonado says that’s why the Chicano Federation has boots on the ground to launch the “With Pride” campaign.
“It’s the ‘Con Orgullo’ campaign, ‘With Pride,” Maldonado translated. “Because what we really want to do is touch the pride of people they feel when they keep their families and communities safe.”
Their message is that people can get tested, stay safe, and stay home during the holidays.
“We’re very family friendly,” Maldonado said. “Traditionally, we gather during the holidays, and we gather in large groups. So we’re sending a message that this holiday season needs to be watched between -different until next year, we can all get back to celebrating how we love to.It’s good to feel optimistic.But it’s not okay to let your guard down. Not yet.”