By Juan Montoya
As the numbers of Cameron County employees working at the three courthouses downtown afflicted with the COVID-19 disease climbs skyward, County Judge Eddie Trevino has resisted common-sense and has kept the facilities open.
This despite the fact that numerous county employees who remained at the open facilities are hospitalized or at home.
And now, a popular Cameron County Probation Office employee at the peak of his health and who enjoyed a remarkable degree of health and well-being has died as a result of catching the virus at work at the Harrison Street probation office. Adrian Gomez, who was a personal trainer at the Sports Palace, a local gym, has died of COVID-19.
County employees who knew him are in grief at the news and blame the reluctance of Trevino and the county commissioners to do what should have been done weeks, if not months ago: shut down all three downtown facilities, lose a few dollars, but protect the health of county employees and their families. Shut it down immediately and thoroughly sanitize them buildings or lose more people.
Will he? Or is his love of the Almighty Dollar prove so overpowering of his human feelings that he will remain obstinate in his recalcitrance?
Cameron County Clerk Sylvia Garza-Perez said her department staff is distance working from home after an outbreak at the Levee Street county building and confirmed that she is down with COVID-19 under doctor's care. Weakly, she agreed that the building should have been shut down weeks ago, but trailed off as she said: "We tried, Juan, but you know..."
At the Dancy Building, another casualty of the infection is none other than Eliseo Davila, Administrative Assistant to Pct. 2 Commissioner Joey Lopez. He is currently at home with his wife and child taking medication and trying to stave off the aggressive infection he caught at the historical building between Madison and Monroe.How many more Eddie?
Cut your losses and the final losses to the families of county employees. All those workers at the three county buildings in Brownsville and others in the rest of the county and county Public Works and Road and Bridge barns are running the danger of getting sick, dying, or of transmitting the COVID-19 to their communities and families.
If need be, keep the commercial international bridge open and close the other to spans to Mexico. Brownsville people have found the loophole to no bars open in Cameron County and drive across to quaff a few over there.
Will you wait until your counterparts in Bexar, Harris or Travis counties show you the way so you can copy their public announcements word for word? Don't wait too long. A family might lose a loved one working for the county while you dilly dally. Is it worth it?
(Note: It doesn't matter how healthy you may be. COVID-19 is no respecter of persons or apparent health. Don De leon, a hulking, large man who has been a candidate for numerous offices and is the son of former city commissioner Ernesto De Leon is also reported very sick with the virus. And former city commissioner Leo Garza is said to be stricken abd battling with the plague as well.)
Ya miras la tempestad y no te hincas?