Coronavirus: Google Doodle dedicated to grocery workers amid pandemic

Essential workers including teachers, grocery staff, janitors and researchers receive recognition

Google's Doodle on 13 April was dedicated to thanking staff working in grocery stores, part of a series of recognition of 'coronavirus helpers' (Google)

Search engine Google has dedicated its popular Google Doodle homepage to thanking key workers who are making daily life possible during the coronavirus crisis.

Over the next two weeks, a series of Doodles will recognise not just doctors, nurses and teachers but food service workers keeping essential services running as lockdowns continue across many countries.

The dedicated Doodles come after the multinational tech company released a video last week thanking healthcare workers for “sacrificing so much to save so many”.

Google has also been running a series of public health information campaigns in partnership with the World Health Organisation and national health ministries to ensure “authoritative information” on Covid-19 reaches communities effectively.

Google Doodles are usually reserved for holidays or recognising pubic figures, whereas series of Doodles are dedicated to sporting events that extend over multiple weeks, such as the Olympics.

Karen DeSalvo, Chief Health Officer at Google Health, said in a statement: “Over the next two weeks, our Doodles will honour other essential front line workers, including healthcare workers, first responders and the many people keeping services like sanitation, food service, public transit, schools and more up and running.

“Thank you to all the people who are working to save lives and keep communities safe during this pandemic.”

The first Google Doodle in this series, released on 6 April, thanked public health workers and researchers in the scientific community.

In the following days, Google thanked doctors, nurses and medical workers, emergency services workers, custodial and sanitation employees, farmers, and grocery staff.

The coronavirus pandemic has so far infected around 1.7 million people globally, and claimed the lives of nearly 106,000 people since the outbreak first emerged in December.

The UK faced a “sombre day” on Easter Sunday as the death toll soared to 10,612 after 737 more people died from Covid-19.