
Cities like Lawrence and Chelsea, with large Latino and immigrant communities, are suffering higher rates of COVID-19 cases than Boston and other cities. Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera addressed his city’s mounting issues during a livestream with Sen. Ed Markey on Friday evening.
Rivera noted that residents’ essential occupations contribute to the growing rates of infection.
“Lawrence is the workforce of the Merrimack Valley,” he said. “And for the most part, people are getting [COVID-19] because they’ve got to go to work.”
Frontline workers suffer from increased exposure to the virus. Employees risk their lives at grocery stores, construction sites, hospitals and gas stations. Markey and Rivera agreed that the outbreak has redefined the term “essential worker.”
“It’s interesting that in times when these things aren’t happening, these folks are not considered as essential,” said Rivera. “But today they’re totally essential, and they’re in harm’s way.”
COVID-19 is highly contagious, and it spreads fast. Despite risking their lives to go to work, said Rivera, Lawrence workers are still fighting for $15 wages. Massachusetts minimum wage is currently $12.75 per hour.
“You can’t Skype in to work in a grocery store,” said Markey. “You can’t Skype in to be in the sanitation department. You got to show up, got to do the work, and then you’re exposed to other people. And by being exposed to them you might bring it home to your own family.”
Immigrants make up most of Lawrence’s workforce. These immigrants are hard at work, said Rivera. Some work at New Balance — a company that has recently geared its manufacturing towards facemask production.
“The immigrant work ethic is alive and well,” he said. Nevertheless, many of these workers fear investigations of their immigration status. This fear can prevent immigrants from getting critical treatment. Rivera noted that many avoid dealing with the entire health care system.
“If you’re undocumented, you’re not looking to be on a list,” said Rivera. “You’re not looking to be interacting with the police or the courts or even the hospital for that matter.”
Immigrants also face language barriers. Research from a 2019 Boston Planning & Development Agency study found that in Lawrence, 31% of adults, or more than 25,000 people, are limited English speakers.
Despite large populations of limited English speakers, warnings about COVID-19 are usually in English. Rivera said that everything should be translated and available in Spanish as well. He added that the language surrounding COVID-19 should be simple and understandable, without medical jargon or unexplained phrases.
First and foremost, said Rivera, Lawrence needs resources. Markey said that the next emergency stimulus package should include extra support for essential workers. It should include bonus pay, hazard pay and paid sick leave, he said.
Markey addressed these workers: “You’re heroes. But heroes need help.”
Prior stimulus packages allocated $350 billion to small businesses, but Markey said that these funds have been exhausted. He said that $250 billion more should go to small businesses, and a special pool of money should be set aside for minority and women-owned businesses.
Rivera also acknowledged Lawrence’s “gig economy.” These gigs include working for Uber, UberEats or Lyft. Rivera said that Lawrence has 1,400 Uber drivers alone.
“The story of this epidemic is going to be told in how we treated those people,” he said. These workers are qualifying for unemployment benefits for the first time, and Markey said that he advocated for these efforts.
Markey also said that $100 billion should go toward hospitals. Lawrence hospitals are losing money as they treat COVID-19 infected patients and cancel elective procedures. Patients will need higher-quality care as the pandemic worsens, he said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) steps in to help cities in times of disaster. But FEMA funds only reimburse 75% of costs, noted Rivera. He said that the federal government must step up to support the states throughout this crisis.
Markey added that city mayors should receive federal funds and administer them as needed. He said that the next package should include $150 billion for cities and states, and money should go to the mayor to determine distribution. With these funds, said Markey, the mayor will be the architect of a “life raft” and keep Lawrence afloat throughout the crisis.
Rivera also acknowledged recently issued safety guidelines. He encouraged essential businesses to implement reduced shifts and facemask requirements. He also said that a designated safety officer should check employees for symptoms of disease.
“If you’re going to be open, you have to live by a standard,” he said. “You have to make sure that your workplace is set up in a way that doesn’t create more harm.”
As of Monday, Lawrence had 1,117 confirmed cases and 44 deaths. But the data doesn’t account for every resident.
“A lot of people have come down with coronavirus,” said Markey. “And it’s probably a much higher number, but the testing is so inadequate that we don’t even know the full number.”
Both Markey and Rivera expressed hope for the future, however, and commended the courage of essential workers.
“It’s an immigrant story that just continues,” said Markey. “All these people are just as hardworking, just as ambitious for their children, and deserve the same opportunities.”