UPDATE: Fast forward one year and two months. On June 15, 2021, the State of California lifted almost all COVID-19 restrictions. After over 600,000 deaths from the virus in the U.S., the virus has been beaten back with vaccinations and normal life resumes. Or does it? The weirdness and unreality of the start of the pandemic hit me all over again when I entered my local Trader Joe's on June 19, 2021, without a mask and discovered I WAS THE ONLY ONE NOT WEARING A MASK. I felt like a pioneer, an oddity, a minority. I am ready to burn my masks. Why do others persist in wearing them? Not vaccinated? Maybe, but I suspect the percentage would be small. Our son Samuel, lately of New York, observed this same oddity there.
CBS News informs me masks provide security and anonymity. My theory is that it took a year to get used to masks and it became a habit; for some it will take time to get unused to them.
Going grocery shopping during this pandemic has become surreal. The staff at Trader Joe's continue to be relentlessly cheery and the shelves (except for toilet paper), are well stocked. But it is now a virus war zone. It's socially acceptable to wear a mask and gloves, and since I had managed to sew a mask for myself recently, I brought it along. Then I stood in a line that snaked around the corner, carefully maintaining a distance of six feet or more from the stranger near me. We all respectfully maintained that distance and no one talked. This was serious business. I recently saw a great billboard that said, "Standing Together Six Feet Apart" that pretty much sums up the collective cooperation this nation is taking toward "flattening the curve" of infection.
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| There's a line for Trader Joe's now, in six feet increments. |
So I was thinking about that as we slowly advanced in our line. Meanwhile, a Trader Joe's employee romped around in an avocado costume (not pictured) at a safe distance, telling us to enjoy the sunshine, and by the way, we couldn't bring in our own bags. But not to worry, TJ's would provide paper bags for free. When I got to the front of the line, the nice Trader Joe's employee had already disinfected my cart. As one shopper leaves, another can enter.
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| Taking no chances - personal bags not allowed. |
I like to linger in Trader Joe's. I like to discover their new treat of the week. Not today. I felt I had to grab and go and not touch too much. I also overbought, but that's a symptom we all have during this pandemic. I also tried to practice "social distance" like the good citizen I am. And not be too unsettled. But I was and am.
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| Cartoon affixed outside my local Trader Joe's |
Week 3 of pandemic measures concludes. My thanks to the dedicated staff at Trader Joe's who keep me well fed while I, and everyone else, wait this out.
Update: Trader Joe line monitoring is now a thing. See WSJ's June 13th article
here.
