As cases of coronavirus soar past 400,000 in the United States, a group of workers potentially expose themselves to the contagion on a daily basis, and they aren’t medical workers.
They’re the grocery store workers keeping the supply chain going as America battles the crisis.
Gavino Garay has the story.
Beyond the medical workers and first responders on the frontlines battling the coronavirus in the United States is another essential group: grocery store workers.
Reuters went into Northgate Gonzalez Supermarket in La Habra, California, to speak with these unsung heroes, who potentially expose themselves each day to the coronavirus, to keep citizens fed.
Grocery store worker Thomas Flores knows the risk.
With nearly 18,000 cases, California has the fourth highest number of cases in the U.S. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) GROCERY WORKER, TOMAS FLORES, SAYING: "I do worry, I ask God to watch over me when I leave home and to take care of me at work, but I feel the need to come because many families depend on us.
Not only my family depends on me because I must earn money to bring home, but many people depend on the work that I do." Store Manager Diego Valdez says running his store requires a level temper, and sticking to the CDC guidelines, to keep his customers and staff safe.
(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) STORE MANAGER, DIEGO VALDEZ, SAYING: "To prevent the spread, we have to disinfect and be cautious, so our associates are disinfecting their work area every hour, to ensure that they are safe, as well as our clients." Even as health officials hope the data in the coming weeks shows a so-called ‘flattening’ of the curve in the number of cases and deaths, frontline workers like Flores and Valdez are among the heroes showing up to work to keep America fed.
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