THE SCARE ESSENTIALS
Long but orderly — and socially distant — lines snake through stores as people stock up after stay-at-home order
Once word of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-athome order trickled out Friday afternoon, Julia and Frank Broder headed for the Mariano’s at 33rd and Ashland to stock up on essentials.
By the time they got there, the store was already pretty well picked over.
“There’s still no paper products in there, the cans are pretty much all gone,” Julia Broder said in a bustling parking lot, after picking up water, produce, frozen pizzas and chili ingredients.
“It’s starting to get a little tense,” Frank Broder added. “People had a greater sense of urgency, for sure.”
Dozens of people, many wearing protective masks — and one man sporting a full-fledged gas mask — could be seen filing in and out of the McKinley Park supermarket during a typically slow time to shop. Thousands of other Illinois shoppers feeling that same sense of urgency flocked to stores across the Chicago area as they prepare to hunker down for the weeks ahead under Pritzker’s order aiming to curtail Illinois’ COVID-19 outbreak, which has killed five people and sickened almost 600.
Long but orderly — and socially distant — lines snaked through several Chicago grocery stores, while it appeared to be business as usual at others.
At the Pete’s Fresh Market at Madison and Western, drivers circled a jammed lot hunting for available spots while masked and gloved shoppers rushed for the aisles.
Guy Walker said he, his wife and two kids had food at home and were only shopping for the necessities. But he said he understood why others sped to the stores despite officials’ pleas not to.
‘‘People are doing what they think they need to do,” Walker said. “People have no experience dealing with a pandemic. Nobody wants to be without necessities.”
To allow Chicago stores to replenish empty shelves, the city has relaxed restrictions on overnight deliveries, allowed loading dock activity around the clock and lifted weight limits on trucks.
“We’re allowing semi-trucks to stage wherever they want. If they’re full with supplies and they’re waiting for an available loading dock, they can park wherever they need to park. And we’re allowing 24/7 deliveries at all stores and pharmacies,” said Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd).
“If you have a reasonable level of confidence that, when you go to the store, they’ll have what you need, then there’s no longer a reason to go crazy and buy a fork-lift full of toilet paper.”
Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) was pleased to learn officers will be assigned to retail corridors. Tunney sent an email this week to Lake View businesses advising them to batten down the hatches and take valuables out of their windows.
“We had three or four robberies a couple nights ago in Lake View. I think it was interior ATMs and/or liquor and tobacco,” said Tunney, owner of Ann Sather Restaurants.
Tunney noted Chicago’s retail corridors were “pretty empty already” — even before the governor’s stay-at-home order. Police officers assigned to retail corridors will simply make certain that “businesses, while they’re empty, are safe.”
Pritzker’s order was met with bipartisan support and applauded by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, though CEO Todd Maisch called on legislators to address what he called “an economic crisis” with 64,000 unemployment benefits applications submitted in the state this week alone.
“We commend the governor for his strong leadership in keeping Illinoisans safe during this public health crisis,” Maisch said in a statement. “The chamber hoped the order would be a last resort with more time to evaluate the effectiveness of the previous unprecedented measures that would have had less impact on Illinois’ economy. We are very concerned about the families who are going to lose their stability, their paychecks and their jobs.
“This is an incredibly important public health issue that requires strong action, but we need equally aggressive action to ease the economic burden that will be carried by all Illinoisans in the coming weeks.”
‘‘PEOPLE ARE DOING WHAT THEY THINK THEY NEED TO DO. PEOPLE HAVE NO EXPERIENCE DEALING WITH A PANDEMIC. NOBODY WANTS TO BE WITHOUT NECESSITIES.”
GUY WALKER, at the Pete’s Fresh Market at Madison and Western on Friday