Google Doodle honors those 'on the front lines': Grocery store workers

Google's search page honors workers who are putting their lives on the line during the coronavirus crisis.

Monday, the search giant updated its home page with an illustration celebrating essential workers employed by supermarkets. The animation, or Doodle, shows the letter G in Google's logo sending a heart to the letter E, which is dressed as a grocery store employee wearing a mask.

"Today, we'd like to say: To all grocery workers, thank you," Google said in a blog post.

The update on Google.com is part of a broader push to recognize those on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While millions of Americans are under stay-at-home and social distancing orders, the nation's supermarket workforce faces a higher risk of exposure as they replenish shelves and ring up orders for an onslaught of shoppers and couriers.

Some grocery store workers have died after testing positive for the respiratory illness.

Two Walmart employees in the Chicago area died from the coronavirus, prompting the retailer to adopt additional safety measures. Trader Joe's had its first coronavirus-related fatality in New York.

Google has previously honored farmworkers and sanitation staff for their contributions during the pandemic.