MACON, Ga. — Grocery stores were packed on Thursday with shoppers rushing to the stores, many after hearing about Governor Kemp's shelter in place order that goes into effect on Friday. However, this order will not affect grocery stores.
Because of the influx of shoppers, many stores have taken precautions for COVID-19, like shortening hours and sanitizing more.
Some Walmarts in Central Georgia have also made some big changes.
On Thursday, Walmart employees at the Zebulon Road and Gray Highway locations were directing people to walk through a barrier of shopping carts and staying 6 feet apart.
Once you get to the checkout, that 6 feet apart rule still applies. Stickers have been placed on the floor to remind people of that.
As for the crowd, Sheriff David Davis says deputies were called out to the Walmart on Zebulon Road to keep the number of shoppers under capacity.
It was also a busy crowd over at the Walmart on Gray Highway. You could find shoppers walking up to the pharmacy and home entrance to find it was closed. They were forced to trek over to the other entrance. This is because only the grocery store entrance remained opened--only one way in and one way out for customers.
Michael Hokanson with the North Central Health District says stores should take precautions like this.
"The biggest thing with stores is to stay 6 feet apart, whether that's in the lines, in the aisles, just going point A to point B," Hokanson said.
Hokanson also reminds to only go out for essentials like groceries and to pick up prescriptions.
WMAZ reached out to Walmart's corporate office to learn more about these new changes, they have not responded.
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