Virus precaution outweighs panic
Locals stock up at supermarkets to ride out coronavirus pandemic
In the Kingston Plaza Hannaford Supermarket on Saturday, an elderly woman groped at the top shelf of the decimated paper products aisle for a neglected package of napkins.
“Why is there nothing here?” she asked another woman, who was pushing a cart in the opposite direction. They surveyed the nearly-empty shelves.
“People are buying it up,” explained the other woman. “You don’t want to go out more than necessary. To minimize exposure.”
The hoarding of toilet paper has become a coronavirus phenomenon as well as a running joke, and a brief survey of Hannaford’s shelves, with gaps in pasta and beans as well as paper products, could give the impression of panic. But many local shoppers seem to be merely cautious.
“I’m not afraid of the coronavirus, but I am concerned for my parents,” said Hannaford shop
per Jimmy Dorans, of Saugerties. Dorans, who is himself disabled, said he spends most days taking care of his parents, especially his dad, who is ill.
Dorans mentioned that he couldn’t find what he wanted at the closer Saugerties Price Chopper.
“I stocked up about five days ago,” he said. “I got about 100 bottles of water and a lot of meat.”
And he did stock up on toilet paper, he added. “I ordered a lot of toilet paper on Amazon,” said Dorans. “About 60 rolls.”
Another Hannaford shopper, Janice Wolfeil, 80, of Kingston, was unbothered with the coronavirus situation. “It doesn’t bother me,” she said.
Her daughter, Jeannine Harris, also of Kingston, was just a little more cautious. She nodded toward her mom. “I was a little concerned about bringing my mom today to the store,” she said. Her mother grinned.
“We’re not really storing anything,” said Harris. “We’re not hoarding.” Harris felt that the media and social media were hyping it up. “We’ve gone through worse,” she said, making reference to Ebola and AIDS.
Alison Queen, of Hurley, was at Hannaford on Saturday to do some serious grocery shopping. “We’re definitely going to hunker down a little,” she said. Queen, who said she has two kids “if you don’t count my husband,” was not stocking up on toilet paper.
“I got a lot of cereal,” she said. “That’s what the kids eat.” Due to school closures, her children will be home for the next two weeks, and Queen is planning to work from home as well.
“I’m kinda prepping, yeah,” admitted Nick Wright, of Shokan, whose wife and young child hurried off as Wright put groceries into the car trunk.
“I think the preparations that people are making are crazy,” said Wright, thought added he was stocking up
“just a little, like frozen foods.” He referenced the “big hype.”
“I’d say the next two weeks are going to get a little bit crazy. I’d rather do it now than in two weeks from now.” Wright said that he will not stay home from work and his family is not going to quarantine.
“Today is a small glimpse of what can or might happen,” said Wright. “Supposedly, we’re two weeks behind Italy and they just locked down the whole country.”
Wright shook his head, seemingly perplexed. “People have bought up all the toilet paper.”
For local coverage related to the coronavirus, go to bit.ly/DFCOVID19. For live updates, visit bit.ly/DFcovid19live.