The government has made it clear that essential goods and services will be available during the 21-day lockdown in South Africa. Some of these businesses have online delivery services too. Buying things online is certainly something to consider. You’ll come into contact with far less people. Even though you can still purchase things from specific businesses, many people are still confused about what constitutes essential goods and services. Many of us would consider all businesses essential goods and services to a certain extent.
To make things easier, here is a list of the kinds of stores that will be open during South Africa’s 21-day lockdown:
1. Grocery stores
It’s important to make sure that people are able to buy food and other essential supplies during these unprecedented times. Grocery stores across the country will remain open and the people who are employed by these businesses will continue to work.
However, non-essential items such as alcohol and cigarettes will not be on sale. The government also recommends visiting grocery stores as little as possible. It can be risky and there is the possibility of being exposed to the virus while you are out in public.
2. Pharmacies
It’s a well-known fact that pharmacies are very important businesses. They play a critical role during this pandemic by providing medicine, medical supplies and general supplies that could be useful for all households. At a time like this, pharmacies are considered just as important as grocery stores. You can expect your local pharmacies to remain open.
3. Pet Stores
Some of the pet stores that sell pet food will remain open during this time. However, they will only be allowed to supply pet food and animal medicines. Anything else will be considered a non-essential item.
The pandemic will deeply affect animals too and we must consider their needs as much as possible. Try to treat your pets with higher grade food as a means of calming them down. They’re probably missing regular park visits and open spaces.
4. Health shops/ Health Food stores
Health shops can remain open during these times. Nevertheless, they must follow strict protocol by only selling essential products. Sometimes health shops sell hygiene products, cleaning products and food. They can continue to sell items of this nature and nothing else.
It’s important to appreciate the shop owners and workers who are putting their lives on the line to continue providing these services to the public. They are doing a great service to the rest of the nation and we would not be able to keep functioning without them. It is a troubling time at the moment and we can’t be sure of exactly when things will return to normal. However, the fact that we can still buy food and essential goods is extremely comforting.