The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

RESIDENTS in New Providence flocked to grocery stores yesterday shortly after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced the five-day lockdown.

Day one of the national food shopping schedule also took effect yesterday, which only allowed adults with a last name beginning with A through F to shop.

At Super Value in Winton, a queue stretched into the parking lot and almost out to the road as customers tried to practise social distancing.

One customer, Lysle Chase only had to wait two minutes to get inside the store as he was an essential worker and the store workers allowed him to come to the front of the lengthy queue. “You can see that they’re running out of things….. everything. When you start to see cans pulled to the front of the line you know like the food store running out of things,” he said.

One customer told The Tribune she was not asked for a photo ID to show proof of her surname when she went into the store.

Quality Markets at Sea Grapes Shopping Centre had a line which wrapped around the plaza. One customer felt the line was moving and people were obeying the rules. Despite her fears of beng infected with COVID-19, she said she needed to get food.

“The prime minister just issued out that we’re going to be lockdown from Wednesday, so you still have to make sure you have food in your house to eat,” she said.

It was a similar scene at Solomon’s in Yamacraw. Although security officers said they were checking IDs, one customer said she was allowed to go in despite not being able to present her ID.

Customer Mack Altidor agreed with the prime minister’s measure but did not agree with the timing of it.

He said the ad hoc measures led to panic buying. “ I think if he wanted to do this he should have announced it some time this weekend and people could have gotten ready for it,” he said.

QVS Pharmacy at Sea Grapes Shopping Centre did not have nearly the amount of people on grocery lines. Alyssa Storr said she had a 10 minute wait and those on the lines were mainly for prescriptions. As for social distancing practiced inside, she claimed to not see that happening.

“When you go inside the store you don’t know who you’re passing (or brushing up on you),” she said.

According to the new alphabetical shopping roster people with surnames ending in P through Z are eligible to shop today from 1pm to 7pm. Their other two weekly shopping times are Thursday morning and Friday afternoon which means today will be their only opportunity to stock up for the five day break if they are to adhere to tomorrow night’s rigid shutdown.

• The Family Islands have been exempted from the current food shopping schedule. All Family Island food stores will be allowed to operate until 7pm on Thursday to accommodate the delivery of food and supplies via mailboat and other shipping services.