By Henry Jennings
As all of us are far too aware, life has been turned upside down as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, jobs and occupations of all forms have had to make adjustments to conform to ever-changing government guidelines.
Conditions in supermarkets can often facilitate the spread: they’re large, often poorly ventilated spaces. Thousands of visitors, who may stay for 20 minutes or an hour depending on what they’re buying, pass through every day. Social distancing is often difficult, particularly when queueing or selecting items from the shelves.
One local Asda employee shares her experiences of working in retail throughout these challenging times. When questioned on whether she felt unsafe when at work, she cited how measures and precautions put in place put her at ease: “At the start of the pandemic when no one really knew what was going on, it was quite scary and very up in the air. When masks were introduced and screens were put up at tills it became much safer and I felt better about going into work”. She then went on to praise the way local shoppers have complied with the rules “the public recently have relaxed a lot more but they have followed the rules well”.
With rules gradually being eased, it gives us the opportunity to reflect on the excellent job colleagues at our supermarkets have done through this period of adversity. The pandemic has offered an opportunity to be more appreciative of these workers- something we should continue doing moving forward.
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