Most of us have seen all of those pictures on social media of grocery stores struggling to keep toilet paper or disinfectants on the shelves. It's also why many supermarkets have stopped staying open for 24 hours to restock and thoroughly clean.
For the first time this morning, Newswatch 16's Ryan Leckey gave us an inside look at what that overnight work really looks like.
Employees at Gerrity's Supermarkets and Weis Markets provided Newswatch 16 with inside video and interviews to show what they're doing to keep stocked and keep you safe.
While many of us are sleeping overnight, a lot of scrubbing and wiping of surfaces is happening at Weis Markets in Lewisburg as spotlighted on Newswatch 16 This Morning.
"We're doing things like the credit and debit terminals, the carts, and the baskets. We have also eliminated all of the self-serve options we have in the store like salad bars, soup bars, really the kind of things that help us in our prevention efforts," said Dennis Curtin, Weis Markets Spokesperson.
And the cleaning doesn't stop after sunrise. Both Weis and Gerrity's managers say the stores are cleaning throughout the day too.
New senior hours at Gerrity's:
Speaking of Gerrity's, Tuesday is Senior Citizen Day. For the first time on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, Gerrity's is opening exclusively for seniors from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. This exclusive time frame is for those aged 60 and up. IDs will be checked at the door. Helpers, aids, or family members under 60 will not be allowed inside during this time. Gerrity's stresses, if you need a helper or aid to shop, you're asked to send that person to the store when it's open to the general public.
Other senior citizen shopping options:
Other supermarkets in our area are also offering other days for deals and times for senior citizens, head here to see a previous Newswatch 16 story highlighting all of the times and companies participating.
And no matter where you're shopping, supermarket managers have one request: "don't shop in groups." Try to limit the number of people you're bringing with you to help with the whole social distancing.