After changing my lifestyle to accommodate social distancing, I was struck a few days ago by the difficulty of following advisory guidelines while making a necessary visit the grocery store.

It’s pretty hard to stay six feet apart in an aisle that is not much wider than that. I was also struck by the huge potential for transfer of germs — I touch my groceries when I put them on the conveyor belt, then the checker touches them while also touching the cash register after having touched the them handed them by previous customers, then they go onto the conveyor again only to be picked up by a bagger.

It seems to me that this has the potential to quickly undo the positive effects of social distancing the rest of the time. In talking with my brothers and sisters in other parts of the nation and continent, I learned that grocery stores there are taking what seem to be the sensible steps of allowing only a specified number of folks into the store at time to allow those who will to spread out and by insisting that people stay at least 6 feet apart while waiting to check out.

I am suggesting steps like this to managers of stores in our area and I hope, that if you agree, you will as well.

— Bob Langley, Yachats