Virus precautions go out the window at grocery store

Having experienced other quarantines during my lifetime, I had no problem understanding that to reduce the number of cases and subsequent deaths due to COVID-19, one must educate themselves as to the what, where, how and why.

This I did by watching daily reports from the provincial and federal governments, reading whatever I could on line and then following the guidance provided by the experts.

The grocery stores and other essential services remained open, but with strict rules. They were allowed to dictate the behaviour necessary to stop the spread of the disease because they owned the store, so you had two choices: follow the rules and go in or refuse to follow the rules and leave.

All seemed to be going well enough until those people who may not have educated themselves as to the level of contagion, or simply didn’t care about others like the elderly, the vulnerable and those with poorer immunity, decided they had suffered enough and bullied us into opening up more.

Personally, I thought that might work if we took it slowly and carefully, always being mindful of others. It was with some shock then that I witnessed a totally different scenario yesterday at a major grocery store, which just a month ago had taken extreme precautions.

There was no lineup because no one was monitoring the number of customers; staff were not wearing masks or gloves (which really shocked me in the produce department); no one directing people to cash registers to keep the distancing — in other words, it was a free for all.

If I stood back six feet, someone would step in front of me. The cashier had a plexiglass divider, but the grocery packer was about two feet from everyone.

Customer service had a group gathered around and again, not a mask in sight. I got only emergency items and quickly left.

I later contacted the manager, who was not concerned. He thanked me for my feedback, but completely defended “his team”who were allowed to choose whether or not they wore protective equipment.

I reminded him the staff were mostly younger people and might need more information and direction, including the fact that masks were to protect others, but he defended them and questioned the effectiveness of masks.

I told him I would not be back. I also reminded him that without customers, there will be no “team.”

I have witnessed young people at beaches and in parks all spring with no regard to the pandemic and I have not heard much from our mayor or councillors.

I only hope all our efforts and sacrifices have not been in vain due to a small minority of inconsiderate or uninformed people.