COVID-19: Mauritians to shop based on first letter of surnames

In Mauritius, a new module for shopping for essentials has been put in place by authorities. The people would now have to shop for their basic needs based on the first letter of their surnames to ensure there is no overcrowding in the shops.

The government believes the move will curb the spread of COVID-19 and a great way to enforce social distancing as directed by health experts.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic many heads of states have had to put in place strict measures to ensure the virus doesn’t spread. This necessary evil move has turned around the routines of the people, and businesses not deemed to be essential have had to shut down.

The Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth mentioned that the new directive would avoid overcrowding, adding shoppers will have not more than 30 minutes to finish with their shopping, BBC reports.

The rota goes like this, people with surnames beginning with the letters A to F will have the opportunity to shop on Monday and Thursday. Those beginning with G to N will have their time on Tuesday and Friday and the last but not the least, O to Z on Wednesday and Saturday. All shops will be closed on Sundays.

The island Nation on Tuesday recorded its fifth coronavirus death. The newest victim was a 71-year-old man who was put on admission at the hospital on Sunday.

The country’s authorities say there are 161 people who have the virus and are receiving medical attention in different hospitals across the country. About 1,709 people have also been placed under mandatory quarantine in hotels and designated government facilities.

According to the prime minister, due to the recent turn of events, the nationwide lockdown that was scheduled to end this Thursday has been extended to at least April 15.

Mauritius is one of the few countries in the world that was actually populated from scratch by “foreigners”, so the blend of cultures and traditions make the island unique.

The small population compared to the size of the country does not make the place congested. However, there is the need to enforce further measures to prevent more people from contracting COVID-19 hence the new rota rolled out for shopping.