As I have previously written, I am a newly minted Burqeuño, and excited to explore my new city and State, but as we all know now, these are not normal times.
Governor Lujan-Grisham has issued a statewide “stay-at-home” order in line with other states and municipalities around the country, and I found myself with a problem we all will face at some point or another: “How do I shop when I have to go out?”
While our situation is serious, I was happy to discover that the people in my new home are taking things seriously.
We New Mexicans are incredibly lucky to be blessed with amazing outdoors for us to explore and enjoy. I like hiking, and because of the incredible New Mexican sun, I also needed sunscreen and some kleenex. I decided to limit my exposure and get these two items as safely as I could before I went hiking and stopped at a Walgreens in Albuquerque.
Here, then, a light hearted attempt to deal with our serious situation:
Shopping Do’s and Dont’s:
Shopping DON’T:
Don’t go to crowded places. As Spring Break partiers are now finding out the hard way, Covid-19 will happily infect anyone, of any age.
Shopping DO:
Shop smart. When you absolutely need to go out, choose to patronize local businesses that want you and their employees to stay safe, like Albuquerque Walgreens locations. When I walked into the store, I was greeted by this sign, and was immediately put at ease.
Thank you, Walgreens
Shopping DON’T:
Don’t disobey the signs. Don’t make other people in the store uncomfortable; all you have to do is keep your distance. Let’s not do these types of lines anymore, New Mexico. The physically closer we get to people, the easier it is for Cov-19 to spread.
This will get us in trouble. (I was guilty myself!)
Shopping DO:
Toe the line. Do what my fellow Burqueños were doing at Walgreens: Stay 6 feet apart, and if you can’t remember that, just remember to stay on the line until it’s your turn, and advance calm and cool.
As I stood in line six feet behind one woman, and six feet ahead of another gentleman, we all chatted about our new reality, and we smiled as we talked, which is always better than not. We recognized the seriousness of Covid-19, and discussed some of the things we were doing to be safe. The consensus was: If we all practice patience, kindness and stay calm as we navigate this challenging time, we’re all going to come through it together. Stay safe, New Mexico, we’re going to make it together.
I’d love to hear from you
Do you know of a great New Mexico story we should be sharing? Reach out to [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you