The sun slowly begins to set in east Las Vegas when First Class Sergeant Che Rios of the Nevada National Guard arrives at his post at Sam Boyd Stadium.
There are many opportunities for assignments when you register in the guard, none of which seem as vital as helping to curb the spread of COVID-19.Rios, along with many other guard members, were activated with the pandemic through Governor Steve.Sisolak to assist in testing, supplying and managing food banks.
“Joining the guard is necessary to serve where you live,” Rios said, “so it gives us a little pride, a sense of where we live, of the community.”
Ríos, descended from Mexican immigrants, is one of many Nevada-colored army workers running on the front lines of the pandemic.The ability of Ríos and other Hispanic guards to talk to Spanish citizens has been important in making sure the site is operating elegantly.
At the very least, it gives a point of comfort.
“My Spanish isn’t that good, but when they see me, they feel a little better, a little familiar with me,” Ríos said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many other people from racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to become ill and die of COVID-19 due to systemic fitness and long-standing social inequalities.In Clark County, where 33% of the population is Hispanic, one in 4 cases of the virus is Latino.
Major General Ondra Berry, a senior Nevada National Guard officer, said the guard worked to provide controls to vulnerable communities and to stay bilingual on site.Citizens who go through checkpoints, he said, are “extremely diverse.”
“What we can do is check it out right now,” Berry said.
In Las Vegas, nearly 33% of the population is Hispanic and 12% are black.In north Las Vegas, about 41% of the population is Hispanic, while 20% are black.Henderson has a Hispanic population of 16.4% and a black population.population of less than 6%.
Sam Boyd’s control site is part of a county “control bombardment” until September 18.Other sites to come with the Henderson Party at 777 W.Lake Mead Parkway, the Texas station at 2101 Texas Star Lane in North Las Vegas and the Garage Mesquite Streets Division at 725 Hardy Way in Mesquite These places are in addition to the checks you can have at Cashman Center and Thomas
All that is verified in it is the name, date of birth, front and telephone number and, above all, no evidence of citizenship is required.
Second Lieutenant Gideon Brillantes, who emigrated from the Philippines, is also stationed at Sam Boyd Stadium.He joined the guard in December 2018 and said his club allowed him to serve nationally and locally.
“I need to be a component of the community; I also sought to serve the country,” he said.
Brilliant, whose father is also an active-duty army, evokes a word many guards use when communicating about their service: they are only “neighbors who help neighbors.”
He said other people may get a little nervous when they arrive for the test, especially with regard to the height of the nasal samples.For fearful testers, samples taken at Sam Boyd Stadium are self-administered and only spend an inch on their nose..
“For the most part, everyone under those orders comes from other backgrounds,” Brillantes said.”We all have other jobs, we all come from other places. Some of us were born outdoors in the United States.”
There are many members of the guard, said Brillantes, whose parents emigrated to the United States.He said he was grateful for what they brought and the opportunities “that we have here to help them in return.”
“That they are part of the guard, that they are part of this operation, of this project that we have here in Nevada, is just that they show their thanks to the community,” Brillantes said.