WATCH: Stylist Erick Osorio Took Precautions and Still Got COVID. Here’s How He Avoids Getting Infected Again

The makeup artist tried to avoid infection, but still caught COVID. Ensuing financial instability has kept him from his dream of buying a home. 

FLORIDA —Erick Osorio believes in the importance of saving and being prepared for emergencies. Because of this, he was able to sustain himself during the first two months of the pandemic, while being unable to work. But then he caught COVID.

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Originally from San Juan, Osorio is a makeup artist and stylist. He moved to Orlando seven years ago after studying cosmetology.

“Since I was a little kid, I traveled to Florida often with my family and always envisioned I was going to live here,” Osorio told The Americano. 

In May, while taking precautionary measures, he began seeing clients.

WATCH: Stylist Erick Osorio Took Precautions and Still Got COVID. Here’s How He Avoids Getting Infected Again

“I never go out, except to the supermarket. When I saw my clients, we would both wear masks,” Osorio said.

“I never go out, except to the supermarket. When I saw my clients, we would both wear masks,” Osorio said.

A week before Father’s Day, Osorio woke up on a Saturday morning and experienced trouble breathing. He’s had asthma since childhood, so he thought it was an episode. He canceled all appointments with clients that day and took his usual remedies.

On Sunday he felt much better, so he went to a cousin’s house to celebrate her birthday. By Tuesday, however, he felt joint pain.

“I went to the birthday party because it was with close members of the family. They don’t go out either, and I didn’t know I was sick. Fortunately, no one got infected,” Osorio said.

“While I was feeling pain in the joints, I drank orange juice—it was tasteless. I began to suspect it could be COVID,” he said. “On Wednesday I lost my sense of smell, so I went to get tested.” 

The stylist spent 22 days recovering from the virus at home. 

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He waited three more days after the doctor said he could work again, just make sure it would be safe to be in personal contact with his clients.

Osorio’s clients were excited to see him again. He could have easily filled his schedule, but preferred to take fewer clients a day and lower the risk of reinfection.

The stylist’s clients were unafraid to see him after he got sick. “Like we say, ‘antes muerta que sencilla.’ My customers and I are very close, and many of them kept an eye on me while I was sick. They were happy to have me back,” he said.

Osorio specializes in styling beauty queens and models. He has worked for Puerto Rican celebrities like Daniela Droz, Lynette Chico, and Maripily Rivera.

Before the pandemic, the makeup artist was ready to buy a house, one of his goals since moving to Florida. He began to look at properties but had to stop because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“With this situation, I don’t feel confident enough,” he said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen. I’d rather wait until the end of the year or maybe the beginning of 2021 and see how things are going.”

For now, Osorio will continue observing stricter preventive measures. He added that is shocked to see so many people without masks or any kind of protection.

“They act like nothing is happening,” he said.

The stylist considers things could be done much better in Florida, which is now one of the states with the most COVID cases. 

“They let many things open…banks, car dealerships. Those aren’t essential services. I would have only allowed supermarkets and pharmacies to be open. In that way things could have been more controlled,” Osorio said.

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