CORONAVIRUS TOOK HIS FATHER’S LIFE. STATE SEN. TONY VARGAS SHARES HIS PAIN TO HELP OTHERS

OMAHA — The coronavirus killed Tony Vargas’ father. So the state senator from South Omaha, one of the hardest-hit parts of Nebraska, can honestly tell families struck by COVID-19 that he feels their pain.

Vargas has consoled. He has received consolation. But he would rather help people avoid the sickness, death and grief that the pandemic has brought to so many families. Even though it hurts to revisit his own grief, he uses his family’s experience to persuade people to take the virus seriously and take precautionary measures.

Vargas has become one of the main faces of wearing a mask, social distancing and being tested. The senator has advocated for more testing sites and capacity, and for more protection for workers in meatpacking and other jobs that have been struck by outbreaks.

“He’s putting himself out there to prevent others from the pain,” said Andrea Skolkin, CEO of OneWorld Community Health Centers.

The Nebraska Legislature will reconvene soon, and there will be policy to be debated, such as funding for public health departments and community health centers, equal access to health care and protections for meatpacking workers. Vargas will be in the middle of that, too.

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