It has been weeks since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and people are already begging to get out of the house. Staying indoors for an extended period can drive you crazy. There are only a few essential places you can go, one of these is the grocery store. Surely, you would think everyone would respect the social distancing rule of staying six feet away and know how to keep their distance, but no, everyone crowds the aisle, risking so much!

This far in the pandemic, with extreme measures being taken by governments around the world, the main goal is to flatten the curve. Everyone needs to keep doing their part to keep the risk of infection low, and that includes limiting trips to the grocery store and keeping a safe distance.

At the front entrance of nearly every store there are signs serving as a reminder of what six feet apart looks like. While this doesn’t seem like something people should need to be reminded of, it is necessary, seeing how many people ignore this rule when entering a store.

A large problem that presents itself due to the pandemic is the low level of patience that many people have. Once people enter a store, aisles are crowded almost instantly. Innocent people browsing the aisles are trapped as groups of three or more come blundering into the same one.

There should only be two people allowed in an aisle at a time in order to keep the recommended six feet of distance. While this may slow down your visit to the grocery store, quarantine provides extra free time by allowing you the privilege of waiting a few minutes longer to get your cereal for the week.

Also, there needs to be a safe distance provided for those that work in the checkout lines. While this might be tricky, an easy way to implement this is to encourage customers to wait one at a time at checkout. Customers could help by standing to the far side of the belt while putting groceries up in order to limit contact with store employees.

Keeping a respectful distance from others also lowers the amount anxiety and fear in society. When you position yourself closely to someone who is concerned for their health, as well as their loved ones’ health, you come off as selfish. I doubt the first site of human contact you would want is an angry stare, loud argument or punch to the face.

The final reason to stay away is to help yourself stay healthy and help end social isolation as quickly as possible by doing your part. The more people get sick or risk getting themselves sick, the longer this all will be.

Although it seems unfair to be dealing with a nation of germaphobes, this is the reality we must deal with. So, with all due respect fellow shoppers—stay away from me!