A 27-year-old grocery store clerk in Maryland, US, has died from Covid-19-related complications after the store she worked at provided neither gloves nor hand sanitiser.
Leilani Jordan, who worked at Giant Food, died earlier this month after catching the coronavirus in the two weeks before her final shift at the store where she was helping elderly shoppers, WUSA-TV reported.
Jordan's mom, Zenobia Shepherd, recalled a conversation she had with her daughter shortly before she fell ill.
Shepherd told CNN that Jordan had cerebral palsy and despite the risk of exposure to coronavirus, she continued working at the store because other workers were not showing up.
“It's just crazy here at work but somebody's got to do it. I've got to help the older people,'' Shepherd recalled her daughter saying, the publication reported.
“She was doing everything for them. Helping them put their groceries in their walkers and helping them get into lifts.”
US grocery store worker dies after boss refuses to give her gloves or mask
Image: 123RF/Dmitryi Epov
A 27-year-old grocery store clerk in Maryland, US, has died from Covid-19-related complications after the store she worked at provided neither gloves nor hand sanitiser.
Leilani Jordan, who worked at Giant Food, died earlier this month after catching the coronavirus in the two weeks before her final shift at the store where she was helping elderly shoppers, WUSA-TV reported.
Jordan's mom, Zenobia Shepherd, recalled a conversation she had with her daughter shortly before she fell ill.
Shepherd told CNN that Jordan had cerebral palsy and despite the risk of exposure to coronavirus, she continued working at the store because other workers were not showing up.
“It's just crazy here at work but somebody's got to do it. I've got to help the older people,'' Shepherd recalled her daughter saying, the publication reported.
“She was doing everything for them. Helping them put their groceries in their walkers and helping them get into lifts.”
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In an interview on MSNBC, Shepherd said Jordan told her that Giant Food was not providing any personal protective equipment, and that she had to take her own hand sanitiser to work.
Shepherd said the store gave her Jordan's six-year recognition certificate and her last wages, which amounted to $20.64. (about R374,38).
“She would've loved to receive this herself. I got this pay cheque yesterday for $20,” an emotional Shepherd said. “My baby's gone because of $20.64. You know what using the proper PPE could've done for my baby?
“For $20.64 they could've bought a box of gloves to give them. They could've kept that pay cheque. She did this from her heart, not for the money.”
In a statement shared by Fox 5, Giant Food said mask and gloves were not provided by the stores because Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not recommend associates or customers wearing them.
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“We encourage our associates and customers to continue taking steps to prevent the spread of any germs and to follow the recommendations from the CDC, including regular washing of hands, social distancing and staying home when sick.”
Jordan's family has created a website to memorialise her and have started a GoFundMe to raise funds for medical bills and her funeral.
The GoFundMe page, which had a $40,000 (about R732,568) target, has so far raised $161,200 (about R2m).
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