NYC Whole Foods enacts 50 shopper limit amid coronavirus
At least one New York City Whole Foods on Tuesday began instituting a 50 shopper maximum due to the coronavirus outbreak — causing customers to pack in a line that stretched down the block while waiting to browse the aisles.
A security guard manning the door at the Bowery location on East Houston Street said the new regulation began around 1 p.m. and applied to every Whole Foods in the city.
“Now we’re monitoring the lines since it’s been super busy,” he said. “Five people in and five people out.”
That store has a capacity of 500 people.
Outside, about 75 shoppers were spotted waiting to get in, some wearing masks. None appeared to be keeping the recommended 6-foot distance from others and several leaned on doors and windows as they waited.
“This sucks, but complaining doesn’t help,” said Alyssa Altit, a 42-year-old downtown artist making a quick “in and out” stop for salmon.
“I should have loaded up on groceries weeks ago,” she said.
Another person on line, 33-year-old Lower East Side resident Mike Rak, said that Whole Foods “is ground zero for the coronavirus.”
But “whatever safety guidelines are in place I’ll follow,” the financier added.
At the Columbus Circle Whole Foods, a long line of customers were photographed waiting on line outside to shop on Tuesday afternoon.
A rep for the grocery store giant said stores and facilities had begun “operating under social distancing guidelines,” but didn’t confirm that the 50 shopper limit had been enacted in all Big Apple outposts.
Stores are working on installing spacing guidelines for queues that form outside and at the register to help with social distancing, the spokesman said.
Beginning last Wednesday, Whole Foods locations across the country started opening for shoppers 60 and older one hour before regular hours to allow them to limit their risk of exposure.