Store owners say some still not following 'physical distancing' rules

It seems some New Brunswickers are not taking physical distancing requirements as seriously as they should be.

 Sean Fillmore, the owner of On The Vine said he closed his store to shoppers, now only offering delivery and pick up, partially because of the cavalier attitude of some customers.

"We took the time to put tape down on the floors, make sure everybody understood that there's a 6 foot space … but that wasn't being followed as closely as you'd want it to,"

"And people are touching stuff, and picking, and putting them down … to me it was madness."

The province is asking people who need to go to grocery stores to maintain a two metre buffer zone between themselves and others, and to only send one person shopping for a whole household.

In a statement released Friday, Loblaw chair Galen Weston took aim at the problem..

"I am troubled by growing reports of people ignoring social distancing requests while shopping," said Weston. 

"Some people are coming in groups or bringing family, treating shopping as a social outing. Others are making uncomfortable jokes about being COVID-19 positive while leaning around protective screens."

"Although incidents like this are still rare, frustrations are growing," he wrote, "So, please do everything you can to be respectful of the protocols we have put in place - for everyone's safety."

But some grocers said people are getting the message.

Paul King, the manager of the Fredericton Co-op, said from what he's seen most people are respecting the physical distancing measures.

People are generally taking advantage of the store's pick-up options, but when they do come in they are getting what they need quickly and are either alone, or shopping with just one other person, like their spouse.

Social pressure

New Brunswickers are not used to such strict restrictions on where they can go, what they can do and who they can be around.

St. Thomas University sociologist Matthew Hayes said this may help explain why people are sometimes flouting these rules.

"We're used to regulating ourselves as individuals … there are certain social norms on an everyday basis that we're expected to adhere to, but nothing like what we're in right now," said Hayes. 

"There's significantly more social pressure on individuals and not everybody is going to feel that pressure at the same rate."

Hayes said the pandemic is quickly changing society's moral code.

This means that while "shaming" can work in some cases, it can also lead to feelings that concerns are being exaggerated.

"The thing with moral regulation is that you can't just stand in the pulpit and say everyone should do this," said Hayes.

"People really have to feel within themselves that 'yeah, this is what needs to be done'."