Bank teller, shift manager, cannabis retailer: what it’s like to work during the pandemic
Downey resident Denise Ramos works as a cannabis retailer and is required to wear a face covering to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Movie theaters, bars, shopping centers, and other nonessential businesses have closed in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, but California and other states have deemed cannabis dispensaries as an essential business. Courtesy photo
DOWNEY — To slow down the spread of the coronavirus, Los Angeles County and its city officials announced plans last month to close nonessential retail businesses and to ban all public gatherings. These nonessential businesses include museums, shopping centers, retail stores, for-profit companies, and nonprofit organizations.
While some people have the option to work from home, there are others who are laid off; and some who are front-line workers who provide essential service during the coronavirus pandemic. Not everyone has the option to stay at home to work and missing shifts would be a financial hardship for many people who work in the service industry.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order to shut down businesses excludes essential businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies, garbage collection, convenience stores, banks, gas stations, hardware stores, and cannabis retailers.
Downey resident Sarah Coral is a shift manager at one of the fast-food restaurant chains in Downey and her work hours have decreased due to the stay-at-home order.
“I am serving hundreds of people each day putting myself at risk. There are precautions we are taking but you never feel safe in a time like this,” Coral said. “The option to take time off is there, but paying the bills isn’t an option.”
Downey resident Denise Ramos is a cannabis retailer who has been working during the coronavirus pandemic. However, according to the state, legal cannabis dispensaries are deemed as an essential business under the stay-at-home-order.
“It’s definitely scary having to get up every morning,” Ramos said. “I don’t want to get up and go to work. I love my job and it’s always been something I wanted to be a part of. So I’m happy I have the opportunity to be a part of it, but right now it’s something I’m not enjoying.”
Despite that cannabis dispensaries are still open, shops have enacted strict protocols to ensure the safety of their customers and employees. Some shops allow anyone 55 years old and older or with an autoimmune disease to skip to the front line during the first hour of opening.
Arlene Rodriguez is a college student and works as a personal banker in Downey. “At first I did feel very uneasy about having to go to work and expose myself when others got the liberty to stay at home and be protected,” Rodriguez said. “Then after seeing many people get furloughed from their jobs, I began to see it as a blessing.”
Pot dispensaries in California have been limiting store crowds by only allowing one customer per budtender. Despite samples having been prohibited at cannabis stores, sales have increased since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
Although some businesses have been barely keeping up with the high demand, some essential businesses have reduced operational hours. Arlene Rodriguez, a personal banker at Wells Fargo in Downey, has been working during the coronavirus pandemic and her hours have decreased significantly.
“This pandemic has caused a lot of stress on my life personally because of the daily changes we’ve had to face at work,” Rodriguez said. “We try to help as much as possible and inform customers that we are all going through this together and we hope everything goes back to normal as soon as possible.”
Rodriguez is enrolled in her last semester at college and was expecting to graduate this spring, however, due to the coronavirus pandemic, her graduation ceremony is postponed.
“With it being my last semester in college my dream of being able to graduate now has been postponed and all my classes are now hosted virtually through Zoom,” Rodriguez said. “Hopefully everyone abides by the stay at home order and this pandemic ends soon and I know for sure that I will not take things for granted anymore.”
Alyssa Vega is a Boston University journalism student covering government, local events, arts and culture.