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Rep. Moulton Pushes For Grocery Store Worker Protections

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass.(Alex Brandon/AP)
Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass.(Alex Brandon/AP)

Following the COVID-19 death of a constituent who worked at a Market Basket store in Salem and a Walmart in Lynn, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton sent a letter Wednesday night to Gov. Baker asking that he designate grocery store workers as emergency personnel.

That categorization, Moulton said, would make food supply chain workers eligible for personal protective equipment and priority testing if they suspect they have been infected with the coronavirus.

"I have heard from constituents who work at grocery stores that they fear contracting the virus due to their increased, but unavoidable, exposure to the public. These employees face a difficult decision: leave their jobs to protect their own health and safety, or show up to work so that we all can eat," the Salem Democrat wrote. "Temporary designation of emergency personnel status would help ensure that our grocery and food supply workers are able to make that choice knowing that the necessary precautions are in place."

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