SPOKANE, Wash. — With Washington governor Jay Inslee officially ordering residents to stay at home to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the community is adapting to being home more often than ever.
Staying home should be everyone's priority for the coming weeks, but there are some outings that are essential. People are allowed to leave their houses to go grocery shopping, but are urged to do that as little as possible.
When going out, certain stores are changing their procedures to keep customers safe while shopping.
Trader Joe's is making people line up outside, and only allowing a small amount of customers to shop at any given time. The store is also keeping every other checkout stand closed, wiping down surfaces and more to ensure their employees and customers healthy.
But they can't do it alone.
Stores need customers to help as well. Trader Joe's is specifically asking customers to stay six feet apart during their entire shopping trip. They are also asking that customers step back from the register while employees ring up items in order to maintain the six feet apart rule.
Another thing many stores are doing is limiting the amount of product each individual can buy. Trader Joe's is limiting customers to 2 of each product, and only one cart full per trip.
Some shoppers are glad Trader Joe's is taking these precautions.
"I definitely think the biggest thing is we went here when it was mayhem and they've done a really good job making it so its just not chaos in general," Jack Sendelbach, a Trader Joe's customer, said.
People on Twitter also seem happy with the precautions. Several tweets have shown photos and videos of stores across the country, accompanied by a caption of praise to the company.
But even with all the signs and employees helping, its up to each individual to be responsible for their own health. Keep in mind people should not be leaving their homes at all if they're sick.
Following all of these guidelines might make a grocery trip last longer, but in the end taking precautions will save lives.