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As an essential worker I put myself at risk almost every day on the front lines. The dictionary defines essential as something or someone that is “absolutely necessary and extremely important.” Although, this pandemic has made me feel more important than ever, I understand the danger I put myself in. I am pleased that I help people get things they need to get by and survive. Being regarded as an essential worker is a great tribute to what I do. It also reflects the responsible role I play as the main breadwinner for my family although it is very risky and dangerous.
Being an essential worker is not as amazing as everyone seems to think. Yes, I still get a chance to save a little money even though it’s not much. As an outsider looking in, I can see how that can be seen as a “perk” but I’m here to tell you, it’s not all peaches and cream. One major issue with being an essential worker is transportation. Getting to work is very much a hassle and an anxiety-provoking experience. With all the concerns about germs and contagions, the trains all of a sudden seem absolutely disgusting and it’s frustrating because it seems the government isn’t doing much to help. When I’m on my way to work on the bus it’s weird being a New Yorker and seeing so many empty streets and roads in the city that literally doesn’t sleep. I see more homeless than anything walking the streets. Sometimes I still see people without masks. I even see people in the neighborhood parks pounding and playing, with no regards to social distancing, as if we’re not going through a global crisis. It’s frustrating to see people of the community putting themselves and others at risk especially for non-essential things. I see many people going for walks which I think is very understandable as a lot of people probably feel caged in their homes.
In addition, homeless people seem to have no choice but to make the subways their homes. They are taking over trains and the buses barely run and are never on time. Even when they are not present their smell and stench still lingers and haunts the train–it’s horrible. They aren’t wearing masks and some of them come on the subway terrorizing passengers. As a young female sometimes, I feel targeted by the homeless men who take the train along with me. A lot of times I’m the only one on the train with one of them–this can be a very uncomfortable and a scary experience for me. Even for regular people it’s an issue while taking the MTA. Many people aren’t following social distancing guidelines while taking buses especially because they aren’t running as frequently as they should. Buses become packed quickly and it also has to do with people wanting to avoid the train.
My job as a supermarket employee during this time is a bittersweet experience. Sweet because I go out of my way to help others and some people are very grateful for me and my other coworkers putting ourselves in jeopardy. Others don’t seem to be so grateful. Some people come to the store with a very nasty spirit which can make a day at work unpleasant. Some people come and don’t follow rules; they take things in bulk which isn’t fair to other customers. They’ll take very long while shopping which can be a bit of a problem because the store only let a certain amount of people in at a time. In addition, many customers don’t follow some of the rules that are put in place during this time to make it a healthy environment for everyone. This can be concerning because nobody wants to get sick from the virus.
Every day lines to get into my job typically wrap around the entire block no matter the weather or time of day. Due to this a lot of workers are working a lot more hours than usual. I used to work part time and every now and then I’d work a regular eight-hour shift on the weekend if I could. Now, a lot of times I end up working 10 hour shifts nearly every day. This messes up my sleep schedule and the time I get to spend with my family and even myself.
Many people are out of jobs at this time and it’s sad to see because so many people have a family to feed. Some people have the grace of being able to work from home while I see many people are getting dropped from their jobs and are being told to file for unemployment which nine out of ten times isn’t enough to feed one’s family. It’s so sad. When this pandemic is over a lot of people won’t even have jobs.
I’m the only person in my family that is working. My mom is disabled and my little brother can’t work, making me the overall breadwinner of the house. I use money from my long shifts to help pay bills and because I work at a supermarket, I am able to buy food from there at a discount. I try to do what I can to help out as much as possible at home. It’s giving me much responsibility and little free time. I try not to complain much because I know it’s for the good and I’m not only able to help my family but also shoppers by ensuring that they get essentials.
Overall, even though I know I’m putting my health on the line, sometimes when I’m at work it doesn’t feel like it. At work it’s smooth sailing between the customers and my overall shift, sometimes not. Managers at my job work very hard to make sure employees are happy and feel safe every day at work even though sometimes the customers do create a hard time.
We get wellness checks as soon as you clock in. This is to ensure that you’re ok for the day and your overall health is fine. They ask simple questions like: are you experiencing COVID symptoms and/or have you been around anyone that could’ve been exposed? In the event that you said yes to anything–which, they’re hoping that you don’t, lol–you get paid for the day and are sent home.
The job really cares for their employees and our overall health even besides this virus. They put many things in place to help us help everyone to be safe. They gave us plexiglass at the registers as a safety precaution because some people don’t listen to the 6ft rule. We clean a lot more often than usual and we get cleaning crews as well which is mandatory by the State, I believe. So, it’s good to know that there are people out there helping us and we all work together to help the community.
Remember when New York had just 11 cases a few weeks ago and now we’re at hundreds of thousands? I guess we should’ve taken the virus more seriously. Sometimes it seems like it all just happened overnight.
I went to school on March 13 and at that time I never thought that was going to be my last time being there and seeing my friends. There was a little noise that they were going to close school but no one truly believed it. But Monday, March 16, was a rude awakening that continued for the rest of my senior year as my normal life was taken away when schools were closed.
Sadly, I got my prom taken away, even though I longed for it the most. It would have been one of my favorite things for my senior year. I’ve been through so much throughout my high school career that sometimes it started to feel like there were barriers trying to prevent me from graduating so I wanted the prom to be my official celebration.
This virus is also affecting me and my mental state especially because I can’t be outside. I hate staying in and sometimes I feel caged so work is my only escape from my home. I deal with a lot at home. And oftentimes I would go out on days and when I didn’t have work to escape the at-home stress and now I’m forced to be around it when I’m not at work and there are many others dealing with the same situation. Many people come from toxic households like myself and are now forced to be home. Luckily, I have a job and it’s the thing helping me through it. I can’t enjoy my normal teenage days because of the danger from this virus.
Everyone is scared. It could be you; it could be anyone. Sadly, one of my friends has tested positive and has caught the coronavirus even after following all safety precautions and as that person expressed their experience to me: The biggest concern was their parents, all while still being scared for themselves. It’s a scary experience for anyone.
There’s limited testing; people are dying. I lost a beloved family member to it and I’m sorry for anyone reading this and knows someone with it as well. I haven’t spoken to a lot of my family because they’re dealing with their struggles as well as bills, food and trying to keep together and keep their sanity.
I feel more separated from not only my family but my environment. Often it feels like it’s everyone for themselves at the same time people are trying to stay together. It’s a confusing period. I don’t feel like anyone was prepared for this and everyone is taking things differently.
Many people are focused on shortages. A man came into my job and bought 7 twelve cases of water. Many people have been buying meat, canned goods and frozen foods–and as many of us have seen, toilet paper. Some people are buying ridiculous amounts and some people respect moderation. I’ve realized that local markets are putting limits on how much people can buy but bigger markets like Wegman’s, BJ’s, Trader Joe’s don’t have limits on what customers can buy which would most likely be why we see so many people buying crazy amounts of items. I like the local market rule better. I feel it’s better for the community. We’re all going through this so it’s better if people aren’t selfish.
*This article was first published in Everybody’s June-July, 2020(pp. 21-23).
*S. L. White is a graduating senior from a Brooklyn High School.