Would you continue to work in grocery (see details)?

I think it’s something you have to discuss with your husband, it sounds like you have a comprimised immune system,and with this virus do you really want to chance it?
I know how hard it can be to make a living, can you qualify for a short term disability,that way you are still bringing in an income?
PLEASE be careful if you choose to continue working,stay safe it sems the average person has lost their freaking mind over this virus.

If you can afford to quit, I’d quit. I feel like working is a gamble with your health and your son’s health and I’m not a gambler. That’s just me.

I’m “working from home” for the time being, starting Thursday 3/19. I feel like why gamble, and I have an autoimmune issue so I don’t want to set off my immune system if I can avoid it.

Today I was in the supermarket and really felt like saying to the workers that they’re the real heroes, but I felt like if I said that, I might cry. I guess I was feeling emotional because it was just so eerie, being out and everyone was on a mission to get their food, and it was such a serious mission for everyone, it seemed. Not discounting nurses and doctors, of course, they’re heroes too, but people forget supermarket workers who we are all relying on to get the food and stock the food which we all need to survive.

There’s nothing stupid about it, and it is a decision confronting millions of us. You are in one of those essential services that stands between public order and stark naked panic, but aside from any motives of ultraism, it is the risks associated with exposure to the disease against the certainties involved with missing several paychecks that would take priority. For too many, it’s catastrophe either way. My neighbor, Slim who was hoping she could leave her son with us while she worked her shift at Walgreens, burst into tears when my wife told her about the sore throat she’s experiencing. Soooooo, I grabbed a 12 pack of root beer and a big tub of Hagen Daz, put the boy inside the van, and drove to Pricilla’s where it’s my job to feed the cat while she hovers over her mom in Portland. We had a grand time with sandwiches and floats and Bob the cat til it was time to drop little Oscar off at his truck driving uncle’s house. The poor man looked so haggard and exhausted that we grabbed some toys, and headed back to Bob, the root beer and ice cream, so the uncle could hopefully nap. He’s supposed to have the next 2 days off, so Oscar will have a friendly baby sitter, but what a world.

I think I asked on another Q if you can work in a part of the store that has very little contact with people. In the back unloading merchandise maybe.

It does sound like you and your son could be at increased risk if you have severe symptoms.

In some cities in the country there is very low risk, but your college town I don’t know. If the college kids are out of the city now that would be a help. Are there a lot of cases where you are?

Health officials seem to be saying half the population will get it, the trick is they are just trying to make sure it runs through the population slowly so the hospitals can handle the load.

I get a very sad feeling sometimes when I think about people working so hard right now. I worry employees at drug stores, supermarkets, and also medical professionals are being overworked, exhausted, and when I used to be physically pushed like that I often wound up sick. If you want to keep working please make sure you get enough rest.

Most people are still going to supermarkets to shop and interacting with people in some minor way. It’s not easy to be completely sheltered from the virus.

It sounds like a really difficult decision. I don’t know what I would do. If I needed the money to pay my bills I’d probably keep working, but that’s NOT advice, that’s me saying I understand what it’s like to feel I have very little choice. If I could quit I’d seriously consider doing it. It sounds like you like your job, that makes the whole thing even harder.

My FIL works in a supermarket, he’s 79 or 80 years old. When I asked my in-laws if he was worried about going to work my in-laws said they were glad he was getting more hours, which shocked me, because they so often worry about things I never would. I just didn’t want them to be scared every day. It’s really a very personal decision, everyone seems to react differently to the risk right now.

If I needed the paycheck, I would continue working. I would probably start to wear a mask, which would at least protect against droplet-borne illness, and be even more diligent about things like laundering work clothes.
There are patterns for very simple face-masks on line, and I imagine that there are always gloves behind the deli counter.

Making a pretty mask to wear sounds like a good idea. You might have to wear a button saying “I’m not sick” or “I have a weakened immune system” I’m half joking, since all over the media they are saying only sick people should wear masks. I do believe the mask will help protect you.

^^^Good idea, the reassurance.
In Indiana, they’re asking people to make cloth surgical masks to help out hospitals that are resource deprived. None of it is as good as N95 masks,of course, but better than nothing.

https://www.courierpress.com/story/news/2020/03/18/coronavirus-deaconess-ask-public-provide-medical-face-masks/2865273001/

When I was in Costco yesterday (Thursday 3/19) there were signs all over about social distancing.

It might be helpful if your store had signs reminding people about social distancing. It would be to remind the employees too.

I was just thinking if someone was slicing my deli I’d want them to wear a mask. If there are several workers wearing them it will be commonplace.

@jca2 That’s great.

Masks do not protect one from catching Covid-19.

All I’ll say is there has been an ongoing concern that our healthcare workers have enough masks for their protection and the protection of their patients. I share that concern. This relates to healthcare in general, not just talking about COVID19. They continue to treat patients with all sorts of ailments.

By the way I think it was VT and MN that officially designated grocery store workers as emergency workers.

People who work in grocery stores are as much heroes as medical workers.

Definitely Not.

I don’t work in a grocery store, and never have in the past, but at the moment, grocery stores are utter chaos. They’re practically breeding grounds for the virus and are almost always full. They’re simply crazy crowded at the moment, and people are going insane over toilet paper and other random items. People are preaching strongly about keeping distance from others, but by golly let’s all congregate at grocery stores and act like it’s the apocalypse.

As for you, you do what you think is best, but with your lung condition, I personally wouldn’t advise working there and would start looking for a new job. What little you may make is not worth dying over.

@marinelife, they can’t hurt. If the virus was aerosolized (which is undetermined, last I checked) then no, but if I was confined to a limited space and exposed to people coughing in the area, I would prefer to have another barrier that could catch the airborne droplets before they reached my breathing intake. Something that I could launder and decontaminate and re-use. See the link I posted above.
It’s not all or nothing, sometimes lesser measures help.

@JLeslie We have community spread in our city. 32 confirmed cases as of today. Some college students left but many are still here. All the students who rent apartments instead of living on campus are the ones who have stayed. My neighborhood is full of students.

Grocery stores are making a killing right now. It’d be nice if they would share some of that wealth with their employees.

I just walked up to grab a few groceries and I spoke with a couple of my coworkers. Things are constantly changing. The store now closes at 9pm instead of 11pm. Deli workers will now be leaving by 8:30 pm instead of 10pm. I was also told that we will no longer be helping customers at our service counter. We’ll only be working on production and packaging. Some deli workers are being asked to work in other departments. I refuse to work as a cashier. My only option might be stocking. I’ll find out Saturday when I show up for my next shift.

@Jonsblond On my grocery store’s Facebook page a woman on there was asking that they provide masks for employees who want to use them. Her daughter is a cashier. I was just thinking maybe you can ask management if you want to bring your own. Maybe a plastic face cover, I don’t know what they are called, would be more protective. It’s like a shield.

If you just work stocking maybe that will help. I don’t understand why your store and other businesses around the country are slow to grasp what are the recommendations. Are they Fox News watchers? My Fox News friends seem to be slower on the pick up with this stuff. Not all of them, but I see a difference.

Management isn’t slow. They are busy filling in for the workers who left. We are understaffed while making record profits. It’s overwhelming for all of us. Every employee regardless of rank is helping customers. I watched three upper management shopping for online customers the other night.

@Jonsblond I have no doubt everyone in your store is working extremely hard. I’ve worked retail at Christmas, I’ve been tired and aching to the point of crying, and this is even worse what’s going on now.

I mean the policy to be friendly and not advising staff to keep their distance. There are a lot of people out there still insisting this is a hoax, they are not being careful.

Others think this is a grand scheme to change the world. A power grab to make us a military state.