Employers make changes to protect vulnerable from COVID-19

Several employers providing essential services are making it easier for vulnerable people to stay home, but some of them are still choosing to work.

Employers that have the ability to let people work from home have been reporting helping both employees that are vulnerable — pregnant women, people over the age 65 and people with compromised immune systems — and aren’t vulnerable transition to doing so. But some vulnerable employees providing essential services can’t afford to take time off, so employers are making other changes, too.

At the county level, Humboldt County spokesperson Sean Quincey said protecting vulnerable employees can take several forms, such as “moving them to a different part of the office so they’re not in places where they interact frequently with the public.”

“It’s at the discretion of the department head,” Quincey said. “As long as they’re not putting them in scenarios that don’t put them at higher risk of contracting the virus.”

However, not all employees work in positions where they have the option to work from home or distance themselves from customers, such as grocery stores and other retailers.

Some companies, such as Target, have opted to let employees who are pregnant or 65 or older “to take a fully paid leave for up to 30 days,” according to information provided by a company spokesperson.

Not all businesses have the option to do that, however, but they’re taking other steps to protect employees, such as ensuring stores are thoroughly sanitized and limiting the number of customers in their stores.

Sean Nolan, general manager of North Coast Co-op, said the grocery store is granting leave to some individuals and has loosened its attendance policies during the outbreak. Gloves and masks have also been made available to employees, he said.

Employees are getting increased pay and discounts, too, he said. Eureka Natural Foods implemented similar pay increases and is doing curbside grocery pickups