This past week has been madness, with a state of emergency being placed on Massachusetts, sports around the country put to a halt, and grocery stores jam packed.

 Thanks to the Coronavirus outbreak, people around the world are panicking. Local stores are taking a hit as many grocery stores are quickly running out of supplies such as water, bread, pasta, and toilet paper. Lines to pay are down the aisles and cleaning products are flying off the shelves. 

Local stores such as Stop & Shop and Shaws in Franklin, Market Basket and Whole foods in Bellingham, and Roche Brothers in Millis are rapidly trying to replenish the shelves and keep customers safe. Many stores have or plan to temporarily stop hot food sections, salad bars, and home delivery services. This is all in an effort to keep the community safe and stop the spread of COVID-19. Walking through these stores, you will find many empty shelves and crowded aisles. Despite ordering an abundance of products, many stores are receiving only a fraction of what they planned on getting. This is due to a limited supply of goods to be distributed between the stores. Which is the result of impulse buying from customers that fear of quarantine or shelter in place.

Stop & Shop issued a press release stating that they will be adjusting store hours due to the virus. Starting March 19th the store will be open from 6:00-7:30 AM for customers 60 years old and over. This is because the virus is more susceptible to those 60 and older and according to Stop & Shop, this new practice will allow for a less crowded environment, which better enables social distancing. Many other stores are doing the same.

Limits on items such as paper products, pasta, and water have now been placed, allowing people to only buy a certain amount. This is to ensure that all customers can get what they need.

As people panic in the fear of being quarantined, it is important to remember all the hard work being put in by community members. Many workers are putting their own health and safety at risk to serve the public’s need.