Local grocer does temperature checks on shoppers to prevent spread of COVID-19

Imagine getting your temperature checked before you're allowed to go inside a grocery store.

That's exactly what a London, Ont., grocery store is doing as it tries to protect its shoppers and employees from COVID-19. 

"The [shoppers] should understand that this is for their safety so it shouldn't be that much," said Husam Mohammed, owner of Berries Market, when asked whether checking the temperature of every shopper might be an overreaction.

A dedicated employee will be stationed at the entrance of Berries Market with a forehead thermometer, making sure shoppers aren't coming in with a fever.

Shoppers who are allowed to enter the store must then put on latex gloves or use hand sanitizer.

Mohammed said he just wants his shoppers and employees to be safe.

The symptoms of COVID-19 can range from a very mild, cold-like illness to a severe lung infection. The most common symptoms include fever, fatigue and a dry cough.

Physical distancing, dedicated hour

Berries Market has also implemented a number of other measures for shoppers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We keep some distance between the service area and the customers like the bakery, the restaurant, the butcher," said Mohammed. "There's almost more than a metre's distance between the customers and the employees."

In addition, a dedicated shopping hour between 8 and 9 a.m. has been in place for seniors and other vulnerable shoppers since last week.

"People, they really like it ... we got very good feedback," Mohammed said about the changes to the shopping experience.

The grocery store is also offering a pick-up service where shoppers can have their groceries delivered to their vehicles, free of charge. For those who may not want to leave their homes, they can also get groceries delivered to their doorsteps for a fee.

Grocers respond

A number of other grocery stores in London have enacted similar measures as Berries Market, but some have gone even further, such as limiting the number of shoppers inside the store at one time and closing checkout lanes next to each other to encourage physical distancing.

Galen Weston, executive chairman of Loblaw Companies, which owns No Frills, The Real Canadian Superstore and Shoppers Drug Mart, issued a video statement on Thursday that announced changes to the company's stores.

"We're pre-packing more products to reduce touching and we're limiting the number of customers allowed in our busiest stores," said Weston.

Fees for plastic bags will be temporarily eliminated to discourage the use of reusable bags. However, anyone who brings reusable bags will be asked to bag their own items.

Meanwhile, Sobeys said it would install plexiglass barriers between cashiers and shoppers at select stores, and ask all employees to wash their hands every 15 minutes.