Going shopping in the days of Covid-19

After a full week-plus inside, and with fresh food beginning to run a bit low, I did go out to shop, as I promised myself. The weather contributed just as I had hoped, it is cold (well, cool) and raining, cloudy and a bit of wind. Exactly the right weather to go out in, as everyone else is staying home.

Prepared myself. Glove ready, face mask ready. Shopping list. Everything ready to put my clothes into the washing machine on my return (except for my leather jacket and boots). Sent SMS to say I was going out, and received the SMS response saying ‘go out’. So all the rubbish that I had collected for the past week and a half was ready, and out I went, all gloved and masked.

Here in Greece, if you want to go out of your house, you are required to complete a form and take it with you, or send an SMS to 13033 with the reason code, your name and address, and you will receive a response saying "go out". Without one of these, you can be fined. I really like this system. We each need to consider why we are going out, and prepare, and this also helps authorities to manage volumes.

The pharmacy downstairs did not have a queue, but the money transfer shop a few doors down did. I’m guessing people receiving government income or remittances from family outside Greece. (Queues today mean people standing around in a big semi-circle, very one knowing who is next, so there is no "standing in a line", something that Greeks cannot do in the best of times.) Had a quick chat with the pharmacists. She is a hero as far as I’m concerned, doing her job through all of this, with a smile for everyone. She let me know that everyone in the building received their masks and are very happy and thankful.

Then it was a walk to the shop, which Google tells me is 800 meters away. A nice easy and comfortable was, with very few people out; mostly only people walking their dogs or those obviously shopping.

Entering the supermarket I was greeted by an employee (face masked) who squirted sanitiser on my gloves, and then on the handle of the shopping basket. She then put a plastic sealed number in my basket. I suspect that they are only allowing a limited number of people in at any time, though having picked my time, there were reasonably few people, with plenty of room for distancing.

the store was well stocked, including toilet paper.

So I am now stocked up again.

Arriving home the process was reversed. Jacket and boots at the far end of the apartment in their own quarantine for the next four or five days, hat away, then mask and gloves off and into the rubbish. All clothes off and into the washing machine, and me into the shower. A good soaping and washing, out, and turn on the washing machine on long cycle and 60c, since my reading and watching suggests that temperatures over 55c will kill the virus. Into the kitchen, new gloves and face mask, and all the shopping either wiped down, or removed from packaging and put away. Anything that I could was put in the highest shelf in the cupboard and will not be touched for at least 4 – 5 days, and then with wipes again.

Is that safe enough, or overkill? I have no idea. But it seems to make as much sense as anything else, and seems to make more sense than ignoring. I did see people out without masks, including the fruit and veg guy at the supermarket. Someone who comes in contact with hundreds of people. I feel for him, but there are masks available, and without a mask he increases his chances of catching this, and his chances of spreading it while he is asymptomatic.

I really do think that by the end of summer, not wearing a mask in shops will be seen as poor-form.