Our Perspective
The New Reality
of Reopening
Retail Stores
By Stuart Appelbaum, President
Retail, Wholesale and Department
Store Union, RWDSU, UFCW
Twitter: @sappelbaum
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,4 MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2020 BTR
Cuomo unveils COVID-19
testing pilot program with
independent pharmacies
Steve Moore, president of the Pharmacists
Society of the State of New York, speaks
about the governor’s plan to use independent
pharmacies for COVID-19 testing.
Courtesy of Steve Moore
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BY JASON COHEN
While the New York City leads the
country in COVID-19 testing and the
areas bordering the city looking to
open next week, the governor is attempting
to test as many people as possible.
On May 22, Governor Andrew
Cuomo announced a COVID-19 testing
pilot program for 50 independent
pharmacies statewide that will result
in 7,000 diagnostic tests per week.
Among those pharmacies, about eight
are from the Bronx.
The federal government will procure
testing kits and personal protective
equipment (PPE) on behalf of New
York, who will in turn provide the materials
to independent pharmacies.
Steve Moore, president of the Pharmacists
Society of the State of New
York (PSSNY) looks forward to implementing
the program. While he is still
awaiting a fi nal call with the governor’s
offi ce to hammer out the details,
he anticipates testing will begin June
1.
“I think once we start to test in the
city this can be incredibly valuable,”
he explained.
Moore told the Bronx Times in
places like the Bronx, Brooklyn and
Queens, where there are many impoverished
communities, this will be a big
boost to help fl atten the curve and help
the people. Additionally, those boroughs
have several drive-through testing
sites and most New Yorkers do not
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Customers will be asked to self
swab their mouth and the pharmacy
will then send the kits out for results.
Moore has spoken to his colleagues
and said that they are all eager to participate.
“By and large everyone is excited,”
he said. “As community based pharmacies
we know the needs of the community.”
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As the Empire State takes its first tentative
steps toward reopening the economy,
nothing is more important than ensuring
we do it the right way. Part of this process will be
the reopening of retail stores, most of which have been shuttered since
March. And the single most important condition of reopening retail is
ensuring the safety of employees and customers.
Our union knows all too well that this is a matter of life or death.
Across the country, the RWDSU has lost dozens of members to the
Coronavirus scourge, and countless RWDSU families know the anguish
of losing loved ones to the COVID-19 disease. Tens of thousands of
RWDSU members will be putting their lives on the line when the
economy and retail stores further reopen, along with countless other
working Americans. With thousands of RWDSU members employed at
retail chains including Macy’s, Zara, Bloomingdales, and H&M, we
couldn’t be more concerned. We only have one chance to get this right;
getting it wrong – with potentially fatal consequences to our families and
communities – cannot be an option.
It all starts with wearing masks, which is probably the most important
thing we can do to protect people along with social distancing. All
employees, management, and customers should be provided masks as
they enter the store and they must be required to use them when they are
in the store. Consistent mask usage helps prevent transmission of the
virus, and it is a crucial component of any responsible reopening plan.
Employers need to commit to enforcing social distancing between
employees, and employees and customers. Plexiglass partitions need
to be constructed at all registers, and temperature testing needs to be
provided to all employees at the employee entrance when they begin
their shifts to prevent sick workers from entering the facility.
Employees need to be given more breaks so they can wash their
hands, and they need to be provided with sanitizer and gloves.
Employers also must make an unprecedented commitment to cleaning
and disinfecting their stores, cleaning all break rooms and restrooms on a
regular basis through-out the day. All employee areas need to be properly
supplied with paper towels and hand sanitizer. The same type of protocol
needs to be used for any equipment employees use, including registers.
And, all interactions between customers and employees need to be adjusted
to ensure safety. Gone are the days when employees would pass a
customer a phone to talk to credit card employees.
Stores need to be deep cleaned and disinfected at the end of the day,
and air circulation or air conditioning systems need to have proper filters
sufficient to clean the air from contaminates. Filters must be cleaned
every day.
We all want to see New York’s economy moving again, and we
want RWDSU members to be able to return to their jobs safely. This
means a real commitment from employers to doing this the right way.
We’ve made some progress in New York in the fight against COVID-19;
it’s proof that a scientific, health-driven approach can
work during these uncertain times. If we are going
to open our stores, we need to continue to
embrace this approach, and keep workers and
customers safe, protected, and secure.
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