By: Juan Carlos Sevilla
“I volunteer as a Tribute!” – Katniss Everdeen in Hunger Games
Gone are the days when we used to go on a relaxing trip to the grocery. Strolling around with a four-wheeled shopping cart, making a life-changing decision on which cereal we want to munch for a week, and stalling to inhale the scent of the soap section — These are few of the things we miss doing in the grocery. In this time of pandemic, going out to do the grocery feels like going to a war zone! Some people even call the designated household’s representatives to the grocery as Tributes, lifted from the movie Hunger Games! Perhaps it’s because it feels like the survival of the fittest!
The COVID19 pandemic has altered the way we do shopping for our daily needs and here are survival tips for “Tributes” a.k.a. households’ quarantine pass holders tasked to go out and do the groceries, if we came up short with our supplies. Heads up tributes, heavy battle is ahead!
Choose the “Tribute”
Going out to do the grocery is not an ordinary task these days, given the risk of being exposed to the virus, but as President Snow would say, “Fear does not work as long as they have hope.” Choosing the tribute should not be based on the willingness of the person to face the risk but rather his or her readiness, health and fitness. According to Department of Health of the Philippines, older people and those with underlying medical conditions such as high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes are most the most vulnerable to COVID-19. Thus, they should not go out and do the grocery. The chosen tribute should be prepared before going out. One must expect a long queue as they get to the grocery, having a full sleep, eating breakfast or lunch, and taking Vitamin C or multivitamins is a must! But just in case there’s no one else to do the task, then just please take to heart this survival guide.
Limit your trips
Photo from Flickr
Doing it weekly or every other week is advisable. Give yourself or the person doing the grocery a maximum of 4 trips every month to do the shopping. Buy everything that’s on your list as quickly as possible. Grocery stores are an enclosed spaces which double the risk of you getting infected by the COVID-19 virus.
Prepare your list
Photo from Pixabay
Plan ahead before your trip and prepare a list of things to buy. List down your essentials and guilty pleasures. Gentlemen, we are usually the tributes to do the grocery. As we all know, girls are the most detail-oriented species on this planet, make sure you get what they’re looking for or you will end up taking a second trip on the same day. Take photos of the goods online and have it checked by your Kumander (commander). “Whenever I go to the grocery, I make a list of what to buy and stick with it. It saves you time and money.” says Gino, the chosen Tribute of Daniel family from San Juan City. Buy everything that’s on your list as quickly as possible. Grocery stores are enclosed spaces which double the risk of you getting infected by the COVID-19 virus.
Gear up
Photo from Pikist
Remember when Katniss Everdeen gave the mocking jay pin to Prim and utter the words “As long as you have it, nothing bad will happen to you”? Well, having protecting gears and hand sanitizers are literally the same. The health experts always remind us that we should wear face masks and other protective gears to cut down the risk of getting infected. “If I don’t have my battle gears (mask and hand sanitizer) with me, I will never risk going out. Mahirap (It’s hard to risk), we have two senior citizens in our house.”, says Nico, Limpo family’s tribute in Mandaluyong City. In doing so, we should also practice social distancing and sanitize our hands with alcohol more often. You don’t need to wear gloves because cross-contamination and self-contamination happen easily when wearing gloves (Ex. Using cellphone while wearing gloves).
Disinfect, Disinfect, Disinfect!
Photo from Pexels
“Water’s our new bestfriend!” said by Haymitch – well in this case water and soap will save us from contaminating the virus. Designate an area in your house where you can disinfect after your shopping. Wash your hands, leave your shoes in the area and head straight to the shower. Don’t even think about wearing your outside shirt and pants after you take a bath, but rather change to a new set of clothes. For the goods, you can wipe it but no need to disinfect every last inch of your grocery haul. “There’s not really a ton of evidence out there right now that says we’re getting infected from the items that we’re bringing home from the grocery store”, shared Dr. Frank Esper, MD of Center for Pediatric and Infectious Diseases of Cleveland Clinic Main Campus, USA.
Given all the safety measures we do to protect ourselves from the virus, it is important to consider if the reason for going to the grocery outweighs the risk of exposure to the virus. There are other ways to purchase the item that we need – thanks to Lazada, Shopee, and other online malls.
May the odds be ever in your favor!