Pinoy workers at meat-packing plant faces discrimination over COVID-19 outbreak

It was reported that the large portion of the workforce at the Cargill’s meat-packing plant in High River, Alta. are of Filipino descent. (File photo: @kcy1019/Unsplash)

Filipino workers at a meat-packing plant in Alberta were experiencing unjust treatment, following a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in the place.

In a report by CTV News, Marichu Antonio, the executive director of Canadian-based non-profit organization ActionDignity, said once the employees were identified to be working at the Cargill, they were being denied entry at grocery stores despite not having to contract the virus.

“Even if they have been cleared by Alberta Health Services, they have to go back home not carrying any groceries because they’re not allowed to get in,” Antonio said as quoted as saying in the article.

Aside from the grocery stores, these Filipino employees were also barred from entering some banks. Antonio said the Filipino community was being wrongfully blamed for the spread of COVID-19 virus “when the reality is they (Cargill workers) got this from work.”

One of the Cargill employees who tested positive for COVID-19 is Arwyn Sallegue. He told CTV News that Filipinos are not to be blamed as “the virus is not made by us.”

“Everybody can get hit by this virus, [it] doesn’t matter who you are, if you are white or black, or anyone,” he said.

Sallegue was confirmed to be a COVID-19 patient on April 23, the same day that his father, Armando, who was visiting Canada from the Philippines, also tested positive for the disease.

CTV News reported that Sallegue already recovered from COVID-19 but is still undergoing self-quarantine. His father, meanwhile, was admitted to Calgary’s Rockyview Hospital.

In another report by CBC, Elma Ton, whose husband is a Cargill worker, expressed disappointment over comments she read online against the Filipino community, particularly those that talk about multiple Filipino families who are living together under one roof.

“I feel bad. Because instead of helping [the Filipino community], supporting them, understanding them, they’re still making fun of us,” Ton told CBC.

Explaining why Filipinos do not mind living with tons of family members, she said, “Filipinos are known to have strong family ties. So as much as possible, we love to live together.”

It was reported that the large portion of the workforce at the Cargill’s meat-packing plant in High River, Alta. are of Filipino descent. Some of them are said to be temporary foreign workers (TFWs), while others are permanent residents of Canada like Sallegue.

As of Wednesday, more than 800 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed at the Cargill plant.

Cargill earlier announced that its High River plant will reopen with one shift starting on May 4, two weeks after it was closed due to the outbreak.

The company said returning employees should be “healthy and not had contact with anyone with COVID-19 virus for 14 days.”

It added that additional safety measures have been implemented, including limiting access to the plant to not more than two people per car, with one sitting in the front while the other is on the back seat. Buses with protective barriers will also be provided to lessen the need for carpooling.