A mother in San Fernando Valley is celebrating being vaccinated against COVID-19 after the woman, who was not documented, was denied a Rite Aid in Mission Hills when she submitted her foreign consular ID as identification.
Her son, Sebastian Araujo, took to social media and drew Eyewitness News and government leaders like California 29th District Attorney Tony Cardenas, who said the legal status in the country did not need to be vaccinated.
“It’s not a requirement at all at federal, state or local level and it was very clearly told to the organization that it was wrong and they immediately apologized for doing so, but it left the woman very upset. , “the Rep. Cardenas said.
Sebastian’s mother is not alone.
Just days after the Eyewitness News report on the Mission Hills incident aired Monday, another undocumented woman, this time in South Orange County, was twice denied her COVID-19 vaccination during a Rite Aid in Laguna on Thursday. Niguel.
She did not want to go on camera, but offered child care to the Rager family who were saddened by the humiliation she had suffered. Their five-year-old babysitter was left in tears.
The father of the family, Kevin Rager, gave an interview to Eyewitness News via Zoom.
San Fernando Valley family raises awareness after undocumented mother refused COVID vaccine
“These kinds of things should never happen to an individual, no matter where they come from. I come from a family of immigrants. I married an immigrant, and such things just should not happen in our time, especially with the guidelines that exist now, ‘says Rager.
Rager gave his employee a letter confirming that she was looking after his children, but that combined with an out-of-state ID was not enough.
The pharmacist insisted on a social security / card and said that the woman preferred the American citizens and later repeated the inaccurate information by phone to the Ragers.
When he examined the guidelines, Rager was shocked when he found the Eyewitness News report of a similar incident online just days ago at the Rite Aid in Mission Hills.
“I just want the government or the companies to send out information to their employees and say that this type of behavior is just not tolerated. These questions should not be asked to any individual and so our whole country should be vaccinated. I do not see why should someone be denied if they actually want a vaccine, ‘Rager said.
In both cases, representatives of Rite Aid contacted the parties involved to apologize.
Sebastian’s mother received her shot at a Rite Aid as the one where she was turned away.
There were clear changes on the company’s website.
Where a driver’s license and social security card were previously listed as acceptable forms of identification issued by governments, there is currently no mention of a social security card, and a note has been added that reads: ‘You will not be rejected if you do not have a photo ID or insurance. “
In emails and phone calls, a Rite Aid spokesman acknowledged that mistakes had been made and said staff had been retrained after the incident in Mission Hills, but why it happened again in Orange County is still being investigated Friday.
Rite Aid planned a vaccination appointment for the family’s childminder later that week.
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