All About COVID-Safe Shopping in Walnut Creek, California

Cultural Journalist Melissa Pixcar has visited several shops in the East Bay to find out what people are buying.

Shops in Concord and Walnut Creek were prepared for the number of people who would buy toilet paper and drinks.

Retailers are working hard to establish as safe a position as possible. A Trader Joes in Concord welcomed clients as they came in with antibacterial wipes.

Things to know

• Keep home, if you are sick.
• Using the services online when available.
• Wear masks in public settings and when people who don’t live in your household are around, particularly when other social distancing measures are hard to maintain.
• Using social distance (stay within 6 feet of others).
• Using hand sanitizer after departure from the shop.
• Wash your hands with soap and water when you get home, for at least 20 seconds.

When grocery shopping

Keep home when you’re sick

• Stop shopping if you’re sick or have COVID-19 signs that include a fever, cough, or shortness of breath.

Shop online or use a pickup at the curbside

• Limit in-person trips to the grocery store or other stores selling important household goods where possible. In general, the more you communicate with others, and the longer the contact, the greater the chance of spreading COVID-19.
• Order online groceries and other products for home delivery or curbside pickup (if possible) or check with your local grocery store to see if there are pre-order or drive-up options.

Protect yourself when shopping

• Wear a mask in public settings and when it’s difficult to separate people around that don’t live in your household, particularly when social is.
• When visiting in person, go for hours while there are fewer people (e.g. early morning or late night).
• Find out if the store has special hours for those at higher risk if you are at higher risk for serious illness. Try shoping during those hours, if they do.
• If you usually carry your own reusable shopping bags, make sure they are pre-use washed. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some places temporarily prohibited the use of reusable shopping bags, so check your state, local, store or market policies before carrying in reusable bags.
• Disinfect your shopping cart, and use wipes to disinfect if accessible.
• Do not touch, with unwashed hands, your eyes, nose or mouth.
• Stay within 6 feet of others when shopping and in lines.
• Use marked entry or exit points, and obey any directional signs or floor marks to hold people at least 6 feet apart.
• If possible, only touch the products that you plan to buy.
• Try not to eat a taste or buying food or drink products from self-service stations.
• Use touchless payment where possible (pay without touching money, a wallet, or a keypad). If you have to handle money, a card, or a keypad, use the hand sanitizer right after you pay.