RESIDENTS OF RANCHO VIEJO ARE "SPECIAL PEOPLE"

"I called Rancho Viejo and was told I don't qualify to get a voucher because I don't live there. Isn't the vaccine for everybody regardless of where you live? It's paid by the taxpayers so why are they not giving it to everybody? Is it because they all are rich and famous??? We should all get in our jalopies, horses, and wagons and drive up there and request to get vaccinated pinches ricachos garuna.." Anonymous commenter

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

It happened when the first case of a COVID-19 infection was detected in a Rancho Viejo resident who had just come in from a vacation in Spain and Ireland right at the beginning of the pandemic arriving here in March.

In that case, the parents of the infected young man took him to their condominium in South Padre Island and told the county health authorities that they had self-quarantined him even though Spring Break was at its highest. At that time there was no such things as a lockdown, face mask requirements, or social distancing.

His father – a local attorney – later thanked Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño for extending all his fine attentions to the family and no one ever knew whether anyone at the condominiums or South Padre Island bars and restaurants had come into contact with him.

And it's happening again in the distribution of vaccine. 

Numerous commenters like the one quoted above have said they heard about the availability of vouchers for the vaccine and called the town office only to be told that they were only for Rancho Viejo residents above 65 years of age. Unfortunately, not all the residents of Rancho were told either, so if you knew someone, who knew someone...well, you know how it goes...

That the county elected and health officials had set aside vouchers for that privileged enclave has not sat well with the mere mortals in the rest of the county. 

Then Pct. 2 county commissioner Joey Lopez lets the cat out of the bag in an Erasmo Castro podcast that each commissioner had received 750 vouchers each for the vaccine and had taken it on their own to choose the recipients instead of medical and health professionals and the political nature of the delivery became clear.

Is there a difference between one county resident and another? The kid gloves treatment by the county and its health authorities toward the town rankles most residents of the county. Why wasn't another batch delivered right down the street to Los Pinos, or the Cameron Park Colonia? No son de cachet como los de Rancho?