Working through the pandemic
Working at the Dunkin’ Donuts drive thru in St. Clair, senior Bella Woodford poses with a coffee. Woodford wears protective gear like gloves and a mask due the coronavirus outbreak. “We have to sanitize our lockers where we keep our stuff and we have a plastic guard covering half the window. If we feel any symptoms, we have to call HR and we need to stay out for two weeks,” Woodford said.
As of April 30, many fast food chains and other businesses still remain open during the COVID-19 outbreak. Governor Tom Wolf allowed certain businesses to remain open during the pandemic as long as it follows necessary guidelines. For example, fast food restaurants are only allowed to have customers through the drive through and local restaurants are only allowed delivery and take out. Along with food businesses, grocery stores are essential for people to get food and other supplies.
PAHS students who worked jobs at businesses throughout the school year are still working now. Through this troubling time, many students are putting their health at risk by going to their jobs. Workers are still facing contact with customers and are doing their best to serve our community.
Employees have to follow certain rules to make sure they can work in the safest way possible without being able to catch the virus.
“It’s an all around unique experience,” junior Camden Deibert said. “Everyone in the building must wear masks, but I work in the mental hospital so you don’t have to worry so much about getting sick.”
Masks are a general thing everyone must wear now. Whether you are an employee or customer, some grocery stores won’t let you enter without a mask.
Weis employee junior Elizabeth Donovan said, “We have to sanitize our registers every hour. There can only be someone on every other register and we have to switch every hour to the one over.”
These students have worked all the way through governor Wolf’s stay at home orders, which is currently scheduled to end May 8.
