TAMPA, Fla — TAMPA, Fla -There are rising concerns about in-store shopping and Covid-19, and health experts are warning shoppers.
The Center for Disease Control now considers holiday shopping a “high-risk activity” as several states, including Florida, surpass one million covid-19 cases.
“The expectation is that by the second week of January we’ll be seeing about 15,000 cases a day in the Tampa Bay area,” USF Public Health Professor Dr. Jay Wolfson said. “That’s 5-thousand cases, give or take, here in Hillsborough county alone.”
The safest way to shop, according to health officials, is online.
But, there are shoppers like Adaeliza Bacon who enjoy going to the stores with her family. We caught up with her and her kids in Hyde Park Village. They were coming from Lululemon with bags full of stuff.
“it was really fun and exciting.”
“I think the stores and the restaurants are taking the proper precautions to make sure that everyone is safe,” said Bacon.
Bacon and her kids had on their masks and said they followed social distancing rules. Plus, most of the business has limited capacity. Some, also have plexiglass at the registers to keep the customers and employees separated
While doctors and health experts are encouraged by the precautions, they still say start online first, and only go out if you really have no choice.
“We’re all on the same team,” DR. Wolfson said. “Our job is protect ourselves and each other against the enemy, which is covid.”
Some of the big box stores are encouraging customers to do car-side pickup.
