THE ESSENTIALS

I’ve still got local accounts. A lot of them are just happy to be open, still being able to provide to the consumer. Employees are just happy to be working.

But on my route, at least a third of my customers have just shut down. It’s crazy. Some are starting to open back up, but a lot of people are just waiting for this to be over. It’s gotten a little bit busier (since

Phase I started). The Oceanfront has been busier, I’ll tell you that.

On a normal morning, I wake up between 1 and 4 a.m. Probably, I’d have about a good 12 to 15 stops. I’d work a 10- to 12-hour day

Now it’s less. And we start later. Maybe it’s half that. I wake up maybe at 4 or 5 a.m.

Some restaurants we have a key drop: We already have the key, and we go in and put the product where we’re supposed to put it, leave the invoice, lock it back up and go to the next stop. Your first three or so stops are like that.

Later in the day, probably around 9 or 10 a.m., people start arriving. And that’s when it’s different. You have to keep distance.

I’ve seen a big increase in orders of gloves and a lot of cleaning supplies. People are being more serious now, with wearing masks and all that, keeping the social distancing. Some places I come and make the delivery, and they’ll go and sit in the office ’till I’m done. Or I wait outside until they sign off.

There are some places if there’s a lot of people in the kitchen I try to keep my distance.

Even wearing a mask, I keep my distance. I do a lot more sanitizing than I did before. Like, I probably wash my hands way more. When they hand me an invoice, I sanitize. Or when I get back in my vehicle, or any time I am close to a sink. I wash my hands.

That’s second nature now, even if I haven’t touched anything. I just start washing. Last night, me and my wife are watching TV, and I just got up and washed my hands for no reason.

Going from six days to four days is hard, but it’s also kind of a break. I have a lot of free time to hang out with the family and relax, really. It’s been stressful, but I’ve been managing.

I hope it doesn’t get worse. As of right now, I

— Corey Webster, food distributor don’t have a backup plan. If it came down to it, I probably could find something or do something. I’ve got a little girl at home.

With this stuff going on, it’s at the point I wish people would have just listened in the beginning. Then we wouldn’t be in

this situation right now.

This interview has been condensed and re-ordered for clarity and concision.

Matthew Korfhage, 757-446-2318, matthew.korfhage@ pilotonline.com