‘I broke down in tears’: El Paso mom takes extra precautions after work to keep kids safe

EL PASO, Texas -- You may have seen posts on social media of medical professionals coming home from work and immediately practice social distancing to keep their family safe from Covid-19.

But it's not just medical professionals -- all essential workers are feeling the impacts. Yvonne Guzman, a mother of four, is one of them.

Guzman works for an essential store as a cashier. One day after work, she had to explain to her youngest children, ages five and seven, why she could not give them a simple hug.

"My son was trying to hug me, my two little ones, and it just broke me because I couldn't hug them," Guzman said.

After taking off her shoes and putting her clothes in the wash, Guzman immediately jumped in the shower.

“It really broke me down," Guzman said. "It broke my heart. I would hear them waiting for me by the shower, by the restroom, and I could hear them say 'Is mommy mad at us?' and that's what was hurting me... I broke down in tears.”

Guzman said as soon as she came out of the her youngest children asked if they could hug her. 

Guzman’s eldest daughter caught the moment on camera and the photos received lots of attention on a Facebook group.

Guzman said the situation has been difficult, but her youngest children are beginning to understand.

"They're getting more used to it. When I come home from work they wait for me, they just look at me and they see that I'm already showered and everything. They’ll tell me 'Oh, now we can hug you mommy!' so, they're getting used to it little by little," Guzman said.