AVENTURA, FLA. (WSVN) - - The weekend has brought an influx of shoppers to supermarkets and warehouse club locations across South Florida looking to stock up on supplies, as confirmed cases of the new coronavirus continued to rise in the state.
Meanwhile, large retailers Publix and Walmart have announced shortened store hours.
Shoppers outside the Costco in North Miami on Saturday said they’re braving the large crowds so they can purchase the items they need for the next several weeks.
“It’s scary, very scary,” said a shopper who identified herself as Orly.
“The lines are crazy, but you’ve got to do what you got to do at this point to be safe,” said shopper Barry Koran.
With growing fears of COVID-19, shoppers are leaving complete shelves empty, as retailers ran low or completely out of essential household items.
“Water, paper towels, some frozen stuff, fruits, vegetables, just stuff to get us through the next couple of weeks,” said Koran.
“I’m stocked already. This is last minute,” said Orly. “I’ve been shopping for the past couple of weeks.”
Although supermarkets are looking bare, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Jared Moskowitz, said there’s no need to worry.
“I’ve been in touch with Publix and Walmart and Amazon, and we are not seeing supply issues,” said Moskowitz during a news conference alongside Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. “Yes, if you go to the store, antibacterial [items], toiler paper are hard to get, but unlike in a hurricane, when we’re not going to be able to resupply right away, resupply is not an issue.”
Saturday afternoon, Publix Super Markets announced that, beginning Saturday night, all of their grocery stores will close at 8 p.m. every night to give employees a chance to restock items.
Hours later, Walmart followed suit, tweeting out that starting Sunday, its stores and Neighborhood Markets will be open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. until further notice.
In terms of coveted items, experts said there’s no need to stock up on tissue, paper towels or tons of food. Shoppers should instead prioritize non-perishables and medication.
“Figure out what your family likes, maybe cans of tuna fish, maybe peanut butter and jelly,” said Moskowitz, “whatever it is that you feel that you can plan for a couple of weeks of not being able to go outside.”
“Have medication in your home, so you don’t have to go iut and refill a prescription if you don’t need to,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Public Health at King County in Washington state.
Despite the advice, customers said they’re not taking any chances.
“Anything can happen to get quarantined, and so it’s better to be safe than sorry at this point,” said Koran.
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