It is a tough time to be a business owner and meet the social distancing guidelines now in place. Businesses are getting creative to accommodate the situation.
There are some heroes emerging. At the top of the list is the US Postal Service.
Having been to the Saratoga Post Office, I applaud their efforts. They continue to process, transport and deliver mail and packages, which is a vital public service. The post office has x’s to ensure patrons stand 6 feet apart in the waiting line. Mail and packages are handed to clerk wearing gloves and signatures are done electronically.
The USPS delivers medications and Social Security and income checks, and is the lead delivery service for online purchases. The USPS is an excellent example of compliance shelter-in-place orders and social distancing restrictions.
The CDC (www.cdc.gov/coronavirus), the World Health Organization (https://www.who.int/news-room), as well as the Surgeon General have indicated that there is no evidence that COVID-19 is spread through the mail.
Now RX is delivering prescriptions to your door. Utilizing high-tech robotics and AI-enabled distribution centers, low-cost prescriptions are delivered in hours and the delivery is free. They’ve stepped up standards and are wearing gloves, abiding by social distancing rules, eliminating signatures and using photos to ID recipients. How does it work? Call with your current prescription or text a picture of the prescription label to 844-466-6979 and they will take care of the rest. www.NowRX.com
The Saturday Farmers Market at West Valley College is open to make fresh foods available—with modifications. All vendors are wearing gloves, no samples are being given and people standing in lines are 6 feet apart.
The market is run by the California Farmers’ Market Association, which intends to keep all of its “essential food outlets” open through May 30. http://www.cafarmersmkts.com
As vendor Natalie Violini said, “The asparagus keeps growing despite the virus.”
Service clubs have suspended meetings Saratoga Rotary President Phil Young has canceled meetings through April 17 and says, “We will play it by ear at that date.”
Former Saratoga Mayor Chuck Page has set up his insurance business to work remotely. “Homes are still being sold and refinanced, and people are still buying and selling cars,” Page says. “I need to be available to help clients get the insurance and documents that they need to complete transactions. I can access all the insurance companies I work with via email, online applications or telephone. And I use the same methods plus the US Postal Service to deliver documents when electronic methods won’t work for a client.” 408-356-0427
Upholsterer Bill Bagley of Krupp’s Upholstery usually has a four-month backlog of chairs, sofas and the like, but that backlog is dwindling. He is keeping his staff on board if possible but needs more projects to be able to sustain. “Give me a call,” Bagley says. “This is a great time to get caught up on those upholstery projects you’ve been putting off. And I will pick up and deliver, abiding by social distancing.” 408-374-0188.
The Saratoga Chamber of Commerce has posted a list of 27 restaurants that are open and offer curbside delivery. https://www.saratogachamber.org/restaurants
The religious practices of hundreds of millions of people are undergoing profound changes in response to the coronavirus, yet spiritual guidance is sought by many. Churches are modifying their message delivery. Saratoga Federated (open to all denominations) is offering online Sunday morning worship service, and their ministries are shifting their interaction to video or phone calls. www.federated.org
Grocery stores are helping the elderly and vulnerable (check their websites for updates) with specially dedicated shopping hours. Because of panic shopping, which has left many store shelves empty, at-risk groups including seniors have had difficulty getting supplies. Here is a partial list of grocery stores offer shopping time for vulnerable customers amid coronavirus:
Big Lots is reserving the first hour of each day for senior citizens and “those most vulnerable to this virus,” CEO Bruce Thorn said in an email to shoppers.
Costco Wholesale Club will hold a twice-weekly senior hour from 8 to 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays for members 60 and older.
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7-9 a.m. Safeway is reserving time for “those vulnerable shoppers who must leave home to obtain their groceries, unless otherwise locally mandated.”
Target is “reserving the first hour of shopping each Wednesday for seniors.”
Trader Joe’s: the first hour of daily shopping will be reserved for senior customers, from 9 to 10 a.m.
Walgreens has designated Tuesdays as “Seniors Day,” when seniors, their caregivers and their immediate families can shop from 8 to 9 a.m. Seniors will also be eligible for discounts on Tuesdays, including 30 percent off regularly priced Walgreens-brand items and 20 percent off regularly priced national brands.
Walmart stores are hosting an hourlong senior shopping event every Tuesday for customers 60 and older, which will start one hour before stores open.
Until further notice, all Whole Foods Market stores in the U.S. and Canada will let customers who are 60 and older shop one hour before opening to the public.
The pandemic has highlighted the precarious nature of gig work. Ride-share and cab drivers are independent contractors, so as their incomes dwindle, they lack employee benefits such as unemployment coverage, sick leave or employer-subsidized health insurance.
Drivers can operate during the shutdown to take people on essential trips such as grocery shopping and medical visits, but many drivers fear being in the confined space of a car with strangers who may be contagious.
“It’s dreadful out there,” says Carl Macmurdo, a longtime cabbie. “These are dire times for us.”