While many Americans are hunkered down at home under shelter-in-place protective orders, more than 2 million U.S. grocery store employees are working on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis.
Designated an essential service, grocers are not only still open but in overdrive to meet increased demand. Store workers around the country frequently interact with customers, risking their health every day to keep Americans fed, but don't get the kind of vocal support bestowed upon other front-line workers.
San Antonio's go-to grocer H-E-B has been lauded for its level of crisis preparation and efforts to protect and support its employees. What measures have been implemented to ensure workers' health and safety, and were they effective? What is the protocol if an employee is exposed to coronavirus?
What guidelines has the Centers for Disease Control issued regarding safety practices for critical infrastructure workers like grocery employees, and do they go far enough? What rights do essential workers have in a pandemic?
How do H-E-B and other grocers prepare employees to work on the front-lines of a pandemic? What additional support is available? How important is consumer behavior to grocery workers' health?
Guests:
- Dya Campos, director of public and governmental affairs for H-E-B San Antonio
- Scott Benedict, director of the Center for Retailing Studies at Texas A&M University Business School
- Diego Mendoza-Moyers, staff writer for the San Antonio Express-News
"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org or tweet @TPRSource.
*This interview was recorded on Wednesday, April 22.
TPR was founded by and is supported by our community. If you value our commitment to the highest standards of responsible journalism and are able to do so, please consider making your gift of support today.
