“During the protests, we were directed not to wear masks once we were in line and like I said, providing security. For the reason of being, being able to be identified if there was an incident where we were assigned to.”

Ernesto Luna is a 46 year old police officer working out of San Diego. He resides in San Ysidro but his work takes place in downtown San Diego at the headquarters. Ernesto works in the permits and licenses department, where he does background checks and inspections at police regulated industries around the city. Ernesto faced Covid both head on and as an observer through his work. During the protests of 2020’s summer, the police were required to not wear a face mask which left him exposed to hundreds of people. During the protests, he was a part of the unit that made lines that blocked intersections and police headquarters. He would be at this from sunrise to sundown.

On the other hand, in his day to day procedures, he saw the police regulated businesses get hurt from the shut downs. With that being said, he does not feel his work will change following Covid. As the vaccine rolls out, more and more businesses are beginning to open. Ernesto sees his work flow is getting heavier day by day.