While everyone had to adjust to the new life caused by COVID-19, frontline workers have had the biggest adjustment.
At the beginning, safety measures were put into place- masks were issued, socially distance tables placed in break rooms, temperature checks reported, and sneeze guards placed at cash registers. Some businesses even changed hours of operations, and others did not.
Like many in the nation, these workers soon found it scary and hard to be working on the frontlines. Andrew McDowell, general merchandise employee at Meijer, is just one of the many essential workers to have experienced the downfall to COVID-19. “It has affected me a lot, especially mentally. I love to travel, even locally, but that has stopped now.”
It is not just themselves that frontline workers have to look out for- most having to go home to someone other than themselves. While at work, they have to be aware of their surroundings, of other people, and the current COVID-19 mandates.
Karen Burnett, employee at Walgreens, stated, “I was scared of what customers were bringing into the store and me bringing it home to my daughter, who is immunocompromised.”
Some stores and businesses offered bonuses for their employees. Walgreens provided one $300 bonus during the summer and Walmart has given $300 bonuses every three months. At the beginning, Meijer temporarily bumped its hourly wage and provided stand-alone bonuses. Now, the retail store is offering $100 bonuses to those who receive both doses of the vaccine.
Across the nation, there are many doubts on receiving the vaccine. “I was conflicted on getting the vaccine, we all were at my store,” stated Burnett. “The only reason five of us got it one day was because it was going to be thrown away and we were not going to waste a vile of medicine.”
Both Walgreens and Meijer are giving doses of the vaccine to the community, each giving 30- 50 doses a day. The process for these vaccines involves registering online at the respected locations and then setting up appointments. For those who do not have access to the online registration, employees have taken the time to help fill out the online information.
There are some who look to the the vaccine as a sign of hope. “I believe it is the only safe path out of this pandemic,” said McDowell. “The quicker we can get people vaccinated safely, the sooner we can get normality back to our lives.”