Fearing deportation, many immigrants at higher risk of Covid-19 are afraid to seek testing or care
LOS ANGELES — Trying to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus has proven extremely challenging in this sprawling city, where public health officials, hospitals, and community clinics are grappling with millions of immigrant residents who may be too afraid to seek testing or care and are woefully unequipped by their economic circumstances to comply with orders to self-quarantine.
As in many communities of color hard-hit by Covid-19, immigrants here are at higher risk for exposure to the virus because many cannot work from home, cannot afford not to work, and often have jobs that require interacting with large numbers of other people. They are cleaning hospitals and essential businesses, working in restaurants and grocery stores, and making deliveries.
