APRIL 23, 2020 – So here’s one of my pet theories gone to crap. I figured that at the higher priced stores I’d see more folks wearing PPE, thus the thinking would be that there would be less chance for contamination from COVID 19.
I had to mail an item and stopped at the 9th Street store. Most of the staff I met were younger.
I spoke with five of them. I always wish front line essential workers to be safe when I finish my transaction, but this time I asked each one of them why they weren’t masked up?
It’s not rocket science. Wear a freaking mask and you reduce the possible spread of any possible infection you have; not just of the COVID 19 Coronavirus, but common colds and flues as well. What a no brainer.
Each and every staff member I spoke to said the same thing. Management said they could wear masks, but they chose not to. Two said management was willing to provide masks.
Loading ...None when challenged had an argument or position as to why they wouldn’t wear one. Could it simply be youthful feelings of invulnerability?
I haven’t set foot in our local Walmart in ages because frankly, it feels like a a huge potential hot spot. The last time I was there was when we had the scare at their pharmacy. Walmart did not shut down and deep clean and I haven’t been back since.
This weekend I witnessed chaos at our local Giant Tiger including a clearly sick woman coughing up a store, sweaty and red faced. No more GT for this guy either until we get a new public health officer that will put public health first.
Perhaps instead of attacking local convenience stores and embarrassing the community he can focus his attention on potential pipelines of rapid spread?
Three less stores to shop at, but safety has to come first. We will see it be law that people have to mask up and social distance and at some point this will have to be enforced for all of our own safety as there is no magic bullet for this about to turn up.
And if we want more of our freedoms back and to spend less time locked down we have to be proactive. We can’t wait for people like Paul Roumeliotis to protect us. We have to protect ourselves, and our economy.
So please, if you go out; mask up and be safe. And if you’re a front line worker, for the sake of everyone, even if you’re behind some flimsy Plexiglas, mask and glove up.