Princeton Grocery Stores Take Extra Precautions Amid Coronavirus
This article originally appeared on the Princeton Patch
PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton grocery stores are taking added precautions to help stop the spread of the new coronavirus.
Chair of Princeton Board of Health Dr. Geroge DiFerdinando shared what McCaffrey's Food Market and Whole Earth Center are doing to help with prevention.
"Limiting our personal space to a six-foot radius is largely impossible in a crowded store but that is the key. Crowded stores can actually endanger us now. COVID-19 doesn't call a time out because you are in a crowded store and neither should we," DiFerdinando said in Princeton's daily coronavirus video on Thursday.
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McCaffery's at 301 N Harrison St. has implemented several precautions including: Having registers open every other lane, offering online ordering, placing signage around the store to remind shoppers of the 6-foot rule, extended senior citizen shopping from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., and have safe packaging for produce.
Whole Earth Center at 2360 Nassau St. is limiting shoppers to 50 at a time and asking that only one family member is sent inside to shop, offering orders by phone and online with pick up on the front patio, reduced hours for staff to restock when the store is closed, limiting the opening hour to those 65 years old and above, minimizing staff whenever possible, and placing open register stations far apart.
Princeton had two new positive cases of COVID-19 bringing the town's total to 16. The two cases were an undergraduate student at Princeton University and the other is a man in his 40s. The Princeton Health Department is working on contact tracing and is ensuring the people are self-isolating.
As of Thursday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced 28 new COVID-19 cases in Mercer County bringing the county's total to 111.
President Donald Trump also declared New Jersey a major disaster area on Thursday as Gov. Phil Murphy, speaking during a live press conference, announced a stunning increase in coronavirus cases: 2,492, as well as 19 more deaths. The case total was the largest increase, by far, in any one day in New Jersey, which Murphy attributed largely to increased testing. There are now 6,876 cases in New Jersey and 81 deaths. (See Related: NJ 'Major Disaster' Area: 2,492 New Coronavirus Cases, 19 Deaths)
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