Grocery workers hail coronavirus testing expansion

Calling it “a big step in the right direction toward 100% testing for every grocery worker on the frontlines of this crisis,” UFCW Local 400 yesterday hailed DC Mayor Muriel Bowser’s announcement that the District is expanding the criteria for COVID-19 testing to include critical infrastructure workers with a history of exposure to a laboratory confirmed COVID-19 patient. This includes grocery store workers, essential government employees, and other workers who continue to report to work in the District. “Our hard-working union members in grocery stores interact with hundreds of customers per day and thousands in a week,” said Local 400 Director of Political and Community Affairs Dyana Forester. “Every day, they come to work knowing they are putting themselves and their families at risk in order to keep District residents fed. It is critical that they have access to testing to ensure the safety of our grocery stores and food supply chains. We support any effort to increase the availability of free testing as we work toward our goal to provide access to free testing for 100% of grocery workers.”

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