As the COVID-19 pandemic is still in its way of stealing lives of globe. US has reached the unfortunate milestone and the major epicenter of this harmful diseases with thousands on confirmed cases. Talking about previous week thousands of people lost their lives with some 800,000 people diagnosed with the virus. As millions of people of the Globe continue to follow lock-down phase and practice social distancing in an effort to protect themselves from the curve of new infections, the crucial contributions of so called “essential workers” including doctors, police, guards, cleaners have come to light.
All of them are working day and night to tend to the overwhelming influx of Corona virus patients. But also, a big thanks to the service workers who are helping us maintain the rhythm of daily life while we weather this Corona Virus –including the grocery store employees, delivery and public transportation drivers, warehouse shockers, and farm-workers. And according to the New American Economy, the reason for the spreading of this harmful virus is focused more on immigration polices because a larger number of patients dealing with this harmful virus are the immigrants.
The data gathered by the New American Economy, which was presented of previous month tells that the around six million immigrants who are working as the workers. And nearly around 17 percent of all healthcare workers in United states are immigrants. Home health aids and psychiatrist are the careers most occupied by immigrants in this sector around 36.5 percent and 32 percent respectively. This is revel that around a quarter of all physicians are immigrants as well as nearly 20 percent of surgeons. Its not only the migrants who are fighting this battle of COVID-19. The crucial role of grocery store workers has been illuminated by the virus, as frightened Americans spent the last several weeks panic buying toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and canned food in bulk. The supermarkets to which they are dealing with are having an immigrant workforce of 16.7 percent, also 18 percent of the drivers who deliver food to those sheltering in place are immigrants. Reports also say that over half of the farms who are responsible for pick, pack, and ship the fruits and vegetables are immigrants. Over 10 percent of bus and truck mechanics are part of the immigrant community.
We are here appreciating the work and the role of essential workers during Corona virus or COVID-19 pandemic, but this also carries the uncomfortable truths about many of these occupations, namely that involves low pay, little or no health benefits. For the immigrants who are well versed in their jobs, Covid-19 has induced another layer of hardship. The recent passed CARES Act allows the people to get the payments directly to people residing in the U.S to assuage the economic upheaval caused by the pandemic excluding both undocumented immigrants and many legal immigrants. This shows that the large sectors of immigrant’s essential workers, numbering potentially in thousands have been out of the financial relief in the wake of COVID-19. On the other hand, Trump newly, executed orders restricts certain categories of immigration from entering the US for at least 60 days. Though the borders are already been closed for weeks in order to contain COVID-19. Also, the midst of an unprecedented national health emergency that has highlighted their value, instead of gratitude, it is unwarranted problems that has heaped upon immigrants.