This pandemic has been very difficult for all of us in the community. Joe and Roselyn Arciaga are both registered nurses. Their eldest daughter,  Selyna gave birth to Hope during this pandemic and as a family have all had to make sacrifices during this time. The Arciaga family share their perceptions about how this is affecting our community at this time with Giselle Tongi-Walters on behalf of the Pacific Asian Counseling Services.

“Well, basically, it's really hard because a lot of people are getting sick and taking care of them, making sure that, you know, that they're going to be OK. It's difficult. It's really difficult for the community and for the families,” says Roselyn.

“It's really affected, of course, everybody. And just the way we do things and even as nurses, you know, I don't normally provide bedside care, but since the pandemic came or started affecting the community, I've seen my cases of, you know, taking care of actual covid19 patients,” says Joe. “So and disproportionately, our community is affected…”

Like many families, the Arciagas have had to make sacrifices to ensure the safety of their entire family.

“Well, it was very hard when our first daughter became pregnant and towards the end of her pregnancy, when usually the mom would help, we couldn't even see her,” says Joe. “We couldn't go to the hospital when she started labor.”

As the holidays get closer, the cases of coronavirus are surging once again, especially in Los Angeles. The Arciagas have worked to maintain safety within their family, especially since they have a new granddaughter.

“Well, every time you visit our grandbaby, we always wear a mask. So she's never really seen us without a mask...” says Roselyn. “I always wear a mask. No matter how close you are, no matter how it is, it's always very important to me to always wear a mask, whether you're outside or even inside the house.”

Joe says they are always mindful because they also have two other daughters and they live in separate households.

“So we're always mindful about advising them to practice social distancing, wearing masks and getting tested,” he says.

The Ariciagas’ eldest daughter,  Selyna who gave birth to granddaughter Hope during the pandemic says it’s been a really tough time for her family.

“It can be isolating, but especially now where we're trying to keep safe, keeping our family safe and keeping us safe,” Selyna says. “I could only have my husband with me and not have my family come in..it was hard with my first first born...so, yeah, that's a huge sacrifice...It's been hard not having that family support.”

Everyone is making sacrifices. Please don't put yourself in harm's way. Make sure that we all stay vigilant, especially during the holidays.

If you have any questions, you can reach out to Pacific Asian Counseling Services. They are taking e-mails and phone calls. If you have any questions about covid regarding testing symptoms tomorrow and you can ask also in Filipino, just call the Pacific Asian Counseling Services: (562) 418-6161 or email: FilipinoCovid@pacsla.org