Sean Scott stood waiting — from a distance.
Shopping for some rosemary and garlic to season the salmon he planned to cook, Scott went up to the meat and seafood counter at the Kroger in Columbus.
Several feet away from the counter, the blue social distancing markers on the ground said “Please wait here,” so he followed the instruction.
When the masked clerk could not hear him clearly, Scott had to lean in a bit further.
Scott is among many grocery shoppers who frequent Kroger, which has implemented several policies to promote social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.
On Monday, Mayor Robert Smith issued letters to 25 food stores around the city and established regulations to slow the spread of the coronavirus. However, not all customers favor the decision.
Among the restrictions, Smith required all food store employees to wear masks and other protection gear while working within six feet of customers. Stores must also set up measuring markers and signage to remind customers to keep six feet from each other.
Some stores had already had similar policies in place, while others worked Tuesday to enact those measures by the end of day deadline.
Dan Price, manager at Food Giant, previously told The Dispatch employees were not required to wear masks before the mayor-issued regulations. Markers are now in place, and signs reminding customers to keep a safe distance are set up at every checkout lane.
Joe Murphy, who shopped at the Sunflower Food Store on Military Road weeks ago, said there have been some changes compared to his last time there. Employees weren’t wearing masks back then as they are now, he said, and the store on Tuesday made announcements on air about social distancing.
“It was refreshing to hear that … the store is taking serious measures in following the federal guidelines as well as the city of Columbus,” Murphy said.
However, other customers on Tuesday expressed mixed feelings about the policies that were put in place to protect them.
At Walmart, fences were set up weeks ago at both entrances to separate customers going in and out of the store, with a yellow line drawn between two lanes, employees said. Signs hung on the line said, “Thank you for practicing social distancing. Please keep at least 6 ft. apart,” and the number of customers that can be in the store at one time has been limited, well before Smith’s edict issued this week.
Scott said the fences around Walmart entrances seemed inconvenient and unnecessary.
“You got to walk around the whole thing just to get inside the store,” he said. “I feel like that’s a waste of time.”
Employees who handle food for customers should wear masks, Scott said, to prevent spitting or talking over the food. However, he said, social distancing at the counter felt pointless.
“We shouldn’t have to stand back that far,” he said.
And despite the rising number of infections and deaths from the coronavirus pandemic, Scott said he did not feel it is as serious as conventional wisdom has claimed it to be.
“(The government is) making a big deal and they are scaring people,” he said.
But many more deemed the new regulations helpful to ensure their safety during the pandemic.
The requirement that employees should wear masks proved assuring to Kelly Thompson and Paula Fuller, who were on their way to the Food Giant on Tuesday.
“They are around more people than we (are),” Fuller said. “It makes you feel safer.”
Donna Gainer, a Kroger shopper, said she supported the restrictions on food stores, especially those requiring employees to wear masks and gloves.
“I feel just a little bit safer,” Gainer said.
Although she believes in taking precautionary measures during the pandemic, Gainer said, she finds comfort in her faith.
“I think God is in control,” Gainer said. “That lessens my anxiety a lot.”
Yue Stella Yu was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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