in mid-January at a daily rate of 48 deaths per 100,000 Latino residents, three times worse than the rate for white residents.
Maria Lopez, 57, of East Los Angeles stood outside Marisol Bakery waiting for someone inside to finish ordering. She is a loyal customer of 12 years who visits twice a week for bolillo and conchas, a Mexican sweet bread. Since she returned to Whittier Boulevard, she has been booked all day. Once the economy fully reopens, she’ll likely stick to appointments only, no walk-ins. Some local residents are still scared to leave the house, and she also feels safer working with clients she already knows, she said.Rodriguez was expecting an uptick in business after the last stimulus checks were distributed, but that didn’t happen, she said — perhaps because people spent the money on basic needs.
The store opened on Whittier Boulevard a few months ago. Tellez and her family had to close a much larger location in Commerce after they all fell ill with COVID-19 and couldn’t keep up with the rent. She feels a mixture of eagerness and fear at seeing more customers. While she needs the business, she feels nervous when there are even three people in the shop. She shoos her son, who has asthma, to the back room.