Government’s attempts to lessen gatherings on Saturday, Labour Day, and Sunday, Father’s Day, by implementing a 10 am-5 am curfew seem to have been undone as thousands of people turned out on Friday to shop and stock up for the weekend, causing long lines and crowds at grocery stores and markets.
The rush, similar to what has happened almost every time new restrictions have been announced for the last 15 months, also caused major traffic jams on major thoroughfares including the Churchill-Roosevelt and Uriah Butler Highways, and the Southern and Eastern Main roads.
There were similar curfews a few weeks ago on public holidays, but these were spaced out and occurred during the week.
The lines at Westbees in Arouca and Diego Martin and Massy Stores in St Augustine ran the lengths of the buildings and doubled back on themselves, with shoppers waiting patiently to be let in. Their reasons for shopping varied. Some people were seen waiting in line with large refillable water bottles, while others left the store with bags and carts full and overflowing. The elderly, disabled, and frontline workers were allowed priority access.
An elderly gentleman at Massy Stores said he was shopping because today was the most convenient day for him. He said he was aware of the seriousness of covid19 and was taking all precautions.
[caption id="attachment_895945" align="alignnone" width="1024"] TOBAGO RUSH: Penny Savers Supermarket in Scarborough, Tobago was a bee hive of activity Friday as people tried to get their shopping done in time for the weekend lockdown. PHOTO BY DAVID REID -[/caption]
“This is a serious situation that there are parts of the world where more people are dying every day because people not taking it serious. I have three friends who died because they didn’t take covid19 seriously.
"They were like, 'What you taking them on with their stupidness for?' Three of them died within a week. One, a barber who used to go around and shave people, he’s my age, he and his son got it and he died.
"Another one, he’s a lawyer, two people in his chamber got it, 84 years, he died.”
Many shoppers said they came because Friday was their day off, or when they got paid.
One young woman said, “I’m on rotation at work and today was my day off so it was the only day I could come, especially with the curfews, and then Father’s Day is Sunday, I want to get things as fresh as I can, pastries and things like that.”
A woman waiting in line with her daughter said she normally came to the grocery on Fridays, curfew or no curfew.
“I couldn’t come earlier in the week because I had to wait until I got paid. If I could have avoided coming today, I would have.”
One young man said the curfew didn’t affect his shopping habits, but he felt like having roti so was lining up to get a roti skin.
[caption id="attachment_895948" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Shoppers at the Tunapuna Market on Friday. - Marvin Hamilton[/caption]
The Tunapuna Market was busy as people tried to get the goods they would normally have bought on Sa
