Residents stock up as coronavirus measures kick in
There may be no confirmed cases in Western Pennsylvania, but Butler County residents are already fatigued by the novel coronavirus 2019 that was declared a pandemic earlier this week by the World Health Organization.
Friday marked three weeks to the day since the nation identified its first cluster of cased with the COVID-19 strain, and some county residents are preparing to stay indoors to keep with Gov. Tom Wolf's advice of “social distancing.” Some businesses in the county are ramping up hygiene measures as in the case of Cummings Coffee, where workers across the three coffee shop locations have been instructed to stop using glass cups for customers.
“It's just a precautionary measure,” said Barry Cummings, owner of the family business. “We touch the mugs, that touches their mouths and even though we sanitize our cups, we wanted to be extra careful. There's not enough information (on the outbreak), so we're erring on the side of caution.”
Meanwhile, reports of depleted toilet paper aisles in supermarkets and dollar stores alike have some considering alternatives.
“In the 1800s, they used rags,” said Kay Chase, a retired senior citizen, “So, I guess that's what we'll resort to.”
Chase spoke as she shopped at a Giant Eagle off New Castle Road, where management installed a policy limiting customers to two toilet paper products. Just minutes before, the store had run out of its last bundle of toilet paper. She also stocked up on non-perishable items such as canned goods and dog food.
This is an excerpt from a larger feature article about retailers and customers stocking up in response to COVID-19 that will appear in Monday's Butler Eagle. We will make sure the most significant COVID-19 updates and information will be available on our Eagle website and by following us on our Facebook page.
