SAN ANTONIO – Veronica Gonzales did not expect her school district would be extending spring break due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I was in complete shock because I’m a working mother,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales works full-time and is a single parent of two boys. She said she was not prepared to have her sons home for another week and is scrambling to figure out child care.
“I have both my kids so that, I mean, I’m not going to know where to leave them,” she said.
Gonzales has already looked into child care services for her younger son. However, she said she may be forced to take time off from work to take care of her sons.
“I’m going to be losing that income when I could be at work making money,” Gonzales said.
Betsy Estrada, owner of Kid Space Drop-In Child Care, said she anticipates her staff will receive more calls from parents like Gonzales.
“I am expecting a bigger crowd,” Estrada said.
The day care sees 15 to 25 children daily. Estrada hopes the number remains the same to avoid overcrowding.
Estrada said staff has followed guidelines put forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and are constantly working to keep surfaces clean. Out of safety, she advises parents not to bring their sick children to the day care.
“We’re not going to take any chances,” she said.
Estrada said children and their caregivers will be required to have their temperatures checked upon entry. She does plan to keep the doors open but is prepared to close them if needed.
“That would be unfortunate but it is what it is,” Estrada said.
COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The disease first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, but spread around the world in early 2020, causing the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic in March.
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