Having borne witness to the panic buying and confusion at supermarket that plagued the country at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, many Jamaicans and supermarket managers alike are expressing concern that the impending weekend lockdowns – beginning this Saturday (March 27) through to Monday (March 29) – will encourage a repeat of the previous chaos.

After Prime Minister Andrew Holness expressed, during a virtual press conference held last Sunday (March 21), that all offices were to close at noon this Friday, to allow employees adequate time to purchase groceries ahead of the curfew starting at 8 p.m. Friday night noon Saturday and all-day Sunday, many Jamaicans took to social media to express their disdain at the new measures.

Commenting on Instagram, @shuriahshuriah said: “I’m trying to understand, isn’t this going to cause more crowding, some persons only get paid on the weekend. Poor people mostly get them hustle pon a weekend. Then go see the rush nuh fi get a lil food put pon di table and fi pay the bills. Kmt…This is a trick, they can put different measures in place. Remember Tufton did say a 1.5mill ago catch it [COVID].”

Facebook user Anthony Anthony questioned whether he was the only one seeing the flaw that exists within the new measure.

“Employers should allow Employees to leave work at 12 noon on Friday to do shopping, curfew begins Saturday 12 noon, am I the only one who sees the potential for crowding in the shopping areas?,” he asked.

Anthony Anthony, however, was not the only citizen who had recognised the government’s error in ways, by issuing a weekend lockdown, smack in the middle of a pay weekend.

Past experience with panic buying

According to Twitter user @TheAmbitiousOne: “My issue with this (new Covid restrictions), is the fact seh a month end and it’s gonna cuz major cluster at supermarkets…cuz everybody ago deh supermarket fi buy food fi survive in this lockdown.”

As a result of this fear and knowledge from past experiences of customers’ panic buying, some supermarket store managers have indicated that, anticipating possible bundling or crowding in their stores closer to the weekend, they have already implemented measures to limit crowds and maintain order.

Speaking with Our Today, Loshusan Supermarket store manager Ricardo Thompson said that, although things have been “business as usual” since the start of the week, he anticipates that, ahead of the weekend lockdown, “people will come in to pick up a little extra” closer to the end of the week.

Thompson is urging customers, however, that there is no need to panic or worry about dealing with crowds in store as “persons can place their orders online at loshussansupermarket.com and have their groceries delivered to their door”.

He also stated that this “delivery service will extend even after the Saturday 12 noon curfew has begun and will be available throughout the day on Saturday up until 8pm”.

The store manager at Super Valu Supermarket on Mannings Hill Road in St Andrew, who asked to be identified as Ms Brown, has also expressed her readiness for an influx of customers closer to the end of the week as experience over the years has taught her that Jamaicans are likely to engage in last minute shopping.

So, although her store will open promptly at 7 am on Friday through to 6 pm, she will be preparing proof of employment letters for staff members without ID in the event these persons are stopped by the authorities after leaving work late on Friday.