Grocery workers are brave frontliners, too, in the time of COVID-19

When almost all economic activities have come to a halt because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), supermarkets and convenience stores, are among the few that have been allowed to operate to sell food and supplies to the people.

These stores manage to run because of workers who do not stay at home and who brave the daily travel —walking, biking, hitching a habal-habal, or what-have-you — just to get to work and happily serve customers.

Lorna

Every working day for 38-year old grocery worker Lorna Juson has become a game of chance since the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, a measure ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte which banned mass transportation, imposed curfew and kept people in their homes to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Juson, who works in the supermarket of a huge mall chain in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, either walks or rides a habal-habal (motorcycle owners offering ride) on her way to and from work from her residence in Fairview, Quezon City.

“Naglalakad po [papunta sa trabaho]. Taga-Quezon City po kasi ako. Kung meron pong habal-habal, nakikisakay po ako, pero hanggang tulay lang iyon,” Juson told GMA News Online on Tuesday.

Lorna Juson, grocery employee, will walk or take the habal-habal, just to get to work every day.  Photo by Llanesca Panti, GMA News

She was referring to the Sapang Alat bridge which marks the boundary between San Jose del Monte and Caloocan City.  The distance between her home in Fairview and Sapang Alat bridge is 6.8 kilometers.

Sapang Alat bridge, meanwhile, is 1.4 kilometers away from Juson’s place of work, which is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“Tinitignan ko rin po talaga muna iyong driver ng habal-habal, kasi po baka mamaya manyakis o kaya may ibang intensiyon. Tantiyahan lang po,” Juson said.

Despite the perils of her daily commute, she said she cannot stop working now, especially that the lockdown has prevented one of her siblings from working in Ortigas. They are the only two earners in their family of seven.

“Hindi na po kasi nakakapasok sa trabaho ang kapatid ko sa Ortigas dahil sa lockdown kasi ahente po iyon ng mga property,” she said.

Habal-habal is not allowed to operate by government regulators, especially amid the ongoing enhanced community quarantine.

“Kapag ganoon po [na nahuli ang habal-habal], no choice po eh, lakad talaga,” she said.

Jayson

Merchandiser Jayson Sales who works in the same supermarket as Juson,  was lucky he did not need to walk from his home to the mall.  A friend has lent him a bike, which he uses for his eight-kilometer trip to the grocery.

“Nagbabike po ako, pinahiram lang po ng kapitbahay, para po may magamit raw po ako. Nung unang araw nga po ng quarantine eh naglakad po ako pauwi,” Sales said.

“Kailangan po kasi pumasok [sa trabaho eh]. Iyong isa ko po kasing pinsan, hindi na nakakapasok kasi sa Maynila po siya nagtatrabaho. Eh wala pong mass transport. Kung hindi po, paano na kami?” Sales, who lives with seven other relatives, added.

Espanto Gonzalvo III, another supermarket employee, also rides his bike to work.

“May bike naman po ako, kaya ayos lang, 15 minutes lang po, andito na ako,” he said.

“Bago lang po ako rito, mag-iisang buwan pa lang. Mabuti po may trabaho,” Gonzalvo, who also lives in Bulacan added.

The enhanced community quarantine will be in effect until April 13. —LDF, GMA News