H-E-B was preparing for Covid-19 when the White House wasn’t
Back in mid-January, when President Trump was still saying the coronavirus was “one person coming in from China,” and that “we have it totally under control,” Texas grocery chain H-E-B was preparing for the worst. By February 2, executives were doing a simulation exercise to update a pandemic plan developed during H1N1, the swine flu, in 2009. Texas Monthly talked to nearly a dozen employees, leaders, and customers about the chain’s emergency response. Come for the nerdy logistics, stay for the bride who planned a last-second wedding—and tapped H-E-B for the bouquet and boutonniere.
