The ongoing pandemic has locked us in our homes. During this scary time, when we are held prisoners in our own homes, by the fast-spreading virus, people are taking all precautions necessary. Governments have implied countrywide lockdowns in many nations, to ensure the maintenance of social distancing norms.
Novel Coronavirus has been declared as a global pandemic, and people everywhere are following all the precautions starting from wearing masks to maintaining 6 feet gaps. Among all these precautions, the effect of the virus still keeps rising exponentially. Food and health have become of the most important.
As most of the people leave their houses for grocery shopping, grocers are trying hard to implement precautions that will protect their customers. Shoppers are the most vulnerable to the attack of the virus. Thus, grocers are also taking steps to ensure their safety.
As a grocery or food retail worker, potential sources of exposures include close contact for prolonged periods with a customer with COVID-19 or handling of the merchandise touched by a COVID positive person.
Thus here are 12 points that show how grocers are trying to protect customers from coronavirus.
Constant Check of Workers
Many groceries and big shopping marts have made it a policy to check on their works regularly. Workers are monitored for temperature before their shift and are asked to wear masks. They have also followed the rules set by the governments regarding the allowance of the number of workers to work at the same time. A regular health check is one among the many other new policies, followed by mandatory leave if caught ill.
Customers Are Asked to Wear Masks
Not only governments but also the owners of different shopping complexes have issued a notice asking their customers to wear masks. Wearing masks have been made a strict policy, to protect themselves and other customers, in all for ensuring everyone’s safety.
Constant Sanitization of the Goods
The products that enter from the retailers can also have specks of the coronavirus droplets. The disease can be asymptomatic. Thus one never knows if they are safe. Therefore, supervisors have also made it a rule to sanitise all the new products and check them before entry. This way, any person handling the products can be kept safe from the virus.
Home Delivery
As shoppers have a chance of crowding a place or huddling up, thereby initiating community spread, many shops are also providing home delivery services. It ensures social distancing and minimum mingling of people. This way, their customers can stay safely at their respective homes and enjoy the shop’s services. It is a newer trend in business.
Temperatures Checks of Customers
Many of the large grocery stores are doing temperature checks of their customers before they are allowed to enter. The thermal scanner can sense your temperature, and this can check your temperature difference from the normal. High temperature, though always does not signify being affected by a coronavirus, it is an excellent precautionary measure. Customers are only allowed to enter after they pass the scanning.
Sanitization of Customers
Some people are wearing gloves to protect themselves from direct touch with any substance that might have been touched by a COVID positive patient. However, many people are only wearing masks as protective gear. Thus shops are providing sanitisers for proper sanitisation before they are allowing an entry. This way, any possibility of the virus transmitting by direct touch with any affected products can be avoided.
Specific Time Limit
Many shops have started a time limit for which they keep it open and allow customers. They follow the government curfew and close their shops at a specific time, following the rules of lockdown. This time limit reduces the continuous mixing of customers and breaks the chain of coronavirus spread.
A Specific Number of People Allowed at Once
Shops have also started to limit the number of people they are allowing to enter at once. Limiting the number of people helps in maintaining the minimum distance of 6 feet between two customers. It also prevents crowding at one specific time and reduces the chances of the virus spreading.
Touchless Payment Methods
To support minimum contact, some shops are also supporting touchless payment methods. Money in the form of notes and coins keep travelling from one hand to another. During these pressing times, this is an unhealthy way, as one is never sure when it gets picked up by a person who is affected by the virus. Moreover, handling of credit or debit cards are also risky as an asymptomatic customer might come along. Thus shops are encouraging their shoppers to go for touchless payment methods to enable better precautions.
Regular Cleaning of the Surfaces
The novel coronavirus spreads through droplet infection or direct contact with an infected person or surface. Thus cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched surfaces such as workstations, cash registers, payment terminals, door handles, tables, and countertops are done on a routine basis.
Workers are Made to Clean Hands at Intervals
The workers touch the maximum surfaces and come in contact with the maximum number of people. It makes them the most unguarded. Thus workers are also asked to keep their hands clean by washing them at intervals or wearing gloves. This way, when they are handling cash or different products, the virus is not in direct contact with them, and they can resort from touching their eyes or mouth with dirty hands.
Continuous Announcements
Shops are maintaining a tirade of announcements, reminding the shoppers that these are not regular times and they should not huddle in a single place. Continuous reminders of maintaining a gap of a minimum of 6 feet are done by using speakers. This announcement is made throughout, including the entrances, the establishment, restrooms, and also break rooms.
Every shop has not only the responsibility of its workers but also the customers who are leaving the safety of their homes to gain the services. As responsible shop owners, most groceries are taking the necessary precautions to protect their customers from the novel coronavirus.
