I went to the store a week ago and the shelves were empty. No bread, no canned goods, few vegetables, little meat, and of course no toilet paper.
I went back today and found there was a short line waiting to get in. I waited five minutes and was allowed in the store. When I entered, I was handed an antiseptic wipe for my hands. As far as I could see the store was basically back to normal. They were a little low on bread and pasta, but on balance everything I wanted was there and in good supply. Plenty of milk, butter, and other dairy. Lotsa meat, and fish. Plenty of vegetables. The store wasn’t crowded. Shopping was a breeze.
I think two things have happened. First, the public has gotten itself under control and second the supply lines are opening up. The problem before was that the stores simply didn’t have time to restock the shelves after the mob emptied the place. My concern about the availability of food is gone.
The stores seem to have come up with a solution to ‘social distancing’. They simply slowed down the number of people allowed into the store at one time. They also helped with hand sanitizers upon entry. Once the public understood that there was no need to panic buy, the long lines outside the supermarkets disappeared, at least in my neighborhood.
Here’s a thought. Why not set up a program where all retail acts like my local Ralphs. They limit the number of people in the store, hand them an antiseptic wipe on entry, and life goes on. Restaurants could do the same, limiting the number of people who could eat at one time, maybe keeping every other table open. Clubs and theaters could do the same.
I’m told that one of the safest places to be at this time is in an airplane. The hepta filters in the planes remove 99.9% of the critters in the air so unless some creep sneezes on you, you are safe. And TSA could check people for temperature and visible disease and stop them at the gate.
If we allow people to go to the supermarket, why not the auto parts store, the clothier, and the barber (barbers and hair stylists are trained to keep sanitary). It seems to me that we can ‘social distance’ without destroying the fabric of our society.
Just sayin.
JVH
PS — Maybe the politicians at all levels could go a couple of weeks and not say anything. Let the pros handle the problem. We seem to be in a “Never let a crisis go to waste” mode. Enough already.
