“There is a divided line between workers who choose to not take the vaccine versus who favors wanting everyone to take the vaccine.”

Francisco Velez, a 50-year-old man is a current medical coverage and food stamp program case worker for the state of Illinois. He had started to work for the state of Illinois when the COVID-19 pandemic had begun. During the time of uncertainty, Mr. Velez has found his work experience as a case worker had been shaped from the aftereffects of the pandemic’s impact into a daily person’s life.

Joel Velez: How has Covid-19 misinformation have affected the work dynamic with coworkers and clients?

Francisco Velez: The workplace has not been impacted too directly by the pandemic however, there has been instances where we have felt that the upper management level has purposely chosen to swipe any reported positive Covid-19 cases under the rug while not informing us on whether someone was tested positive in the workspace or not despite having the information in advance. There is a divided line between workers who choose to not take the vaccine versus who favors wanting everyone to take the vaccine. Because of the ongoing changes in policies and expectations at work, everyone has expressed their frustrations in feeling confused about why the state keeps on making consistent policy changes to a point where a potential protest is on the rise.

Q: How has Covid-19 misinformation affected the process of dealing with medical coverage or food stamp cases with consumers?

A: The process in itself has flowed very smoothly due to our department being allowed to talk to customers solely through virtual communication. I will say the pandemic has made access to receiving medical coverage benefits more easier and allowed customers to reap higher food and medical coverage benefits by expressing how they needed this specific medical coverage from their struggles in dealing with the ongoing pandemic. During the 2nd year of the Covid-19 pandemic, the high amount of food stamp benefits people would receive had transitioned from providing extra benefits to them for their needs during the pandemic to transitioning the food stamp benefits back to standard capacity despite the cost of food having risen during the past recent years.

Q: How has covid 19 misinformation impacted his relationship with family and professional life?

A: Covid-19 has made a rollercoaster impact into my personal life as I have chosen to isolate myself from friends and family in order to stay protected from the risk of getting Covid-19 especially with having a severe heart condition. It has taken a toll on my mind to where I feel that I am on my guard all the time and so isolated that it almost feels like a prison sentence. I would keep myself further and further isolated from my family as the pandemic had continued to progress within these past two years.

Q: What was your biggest motivation for wanting to start working as a case worker for the state of Illinois when the pandemic had begun?

A: I wanted to start working for the state in order to help give back to the community especially during a time when medical coverage resources were limited to my community. At the time, I wanted to work for the state as a case worker due to the role being closely aligned with my education background of having a master’s degree in social work.

Q: What was the common response your co-workers would express when it came to the state of Illinois constantly changing their work policies that may have been influenced by Covid-19 Misinformation?

A:  A lot of my co-workers from my old office within the heart of Chicago had expressed feeling a high amount of frustration. There were no actions or protests made from my co-workers when it came to our humane resource department having made frequent changes to the work policy expectation when it came to handling Covid-19 and discussing about it within the workplace however, you could feel tension building up little by little.