Employees that are deemed essential should receive hazard pay during this COVID-19 pandemic. They do not have any choice but to come to work and risk infecting not only themselves but their family and loved ones. The following was taken from the CDC website, and for most of those deemed essential employees, they have no way of protecting themselves or distancing themselves from others. 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/get-ready.html

If COVID-19 is spreading in your community
Take extra measures to put distance between yourself and other people to further reduce your risk of being exposed to this new virus.

Stay home as much as possible.
Consider ways of getting food brought to your house through family, social, or commercial networks
If a COVID-19 outbreak happens in your community, it could last for a long time. (An outbreak is when a large number of people suddenly get sick.) Depending on how severe the outbreak is, public health officials may recommend community actions to reduce people’s risk of being exposed to COVID-19. These actions can slow the spread and reduce the impact of disease.

• Although receiving Hazard pay or compensation isn't going to solve all of the problems those deemed essential are faced with, it will help boost morale throughout the state of Washington State and provide essential employees with a little extra income to support their families.