Joven Flores worked long hours in a care home. Was he too rundown to survive Covid?

He came to the UK from the Philippines to create a good life for his family, but his job was demanding and relentless. Should he and other migrant workers have been better protected? For most of his life, all Joven Flores did was work. Back-to-back shifts as a chef, working weekends, overtime. Uncomplainingly, Joven tossed, marinated, sliced, kneaded, ordered produce, wiped down worktops and stacked plastic food boxes. On his occasional days off, Joven would prepare meals so that his family wouldn’t have to cook during the week. Then he’d collapse on the sofa. Then TV, sleep, an early morning drive through deserted streets and more work. Joven was born in the village of Patimbao, in the province of Laguna in the Philippines. Growing up, he lived in a simple house, made of wood and concrete. Joven’s father died when he was young. His mother, Mely, worked as a housekeeper for a middle-class family, and also sold fruit and vegetables in the market to support Joven and his three sisters. Money was tight. Sometimes, Mely would have to beg for credit at the shop to buy a sack of rice. In adulthood, if one of his children spilled food on the floor, Joven would get upset, and tell them: “When I was young, my mother didn’t have enough money to buy us rice.” Continue reading...
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