We were trying to hold out until the Quarantine was lifted on March 31, but we were worried that everyone, including Corona carriers, would go rushing to the Supermarket to replenish their food supplies. So, we decided to go on March 27, but it wasn't an easy decision.
Cops have been stopping people who have broken quarantine. Some have reportedly mistreated locals and foreigners. But for the most part, they've been doing their job and detaining people who shouldn't be out without a good reason, which I've found shocking.
Over the last eight years we've seen cops in Cordoba City do very little to stop crime. Last Christmas, we witnessed a shoplifter in action, but when a cop grabbed the thief, they forced her to leave the items behind and then allowed her to leave. Local authorities rarely seem interested in doing their job. They mostly huddle around in groups on the corner of the street and do nothing. But from what I've read, they're actually stepping up for a change and keeping order. I really appreciate that, but some of the locals don't. They think that cops are abusing their power and yet, there are lots of people ignoring the mandatory quarantine for silly reasons.
Cops have reportedly arrested over 9 thousand people in Argentina for violating the quarantine, so far. Of that number, about 2,600 people were arrested in Cordoba alone. So when my husband and I decided to go grocery shopping, we were a little nervous. Oh, who am I kidding? We were very nervous, but decided to go anyway. We were expecting cops and checkpoints in every corner, but we were really surprised by what we found.
There was no one. No authorities. No barricades. Nothing. The sidewalks and streets were emptier than usual, but there were a couple of people walking around heading to the few stores that were open.
Now I know that the CDC has said that masks won't protect people from the Coronavirus, but I figured that it's better to be safe than sorry. So we did wear our masks and felt a little silly at first. Then we noticed other people were wearing them, too, so that made us more comfortable.
When we got to the supermarket, the parking lot was emptier than usual. We went looking for a shopping cart and used an antiseptic wipe to clean the handrail before heading in. Then we noticed a large line but fortunately, we didn't have to wait long.
A security guard made sure that we were all standing about a meter away from one another to prevent the potential spread of the virus. Unfortunately, one person was so impatient (AND IGNORANT!!!), that she simply left. She started mouthing to herself that she didn't understand why people were making such a big deal about the virus and that if bad things are going to happen, they're going to happen no matter where we are.
They were allowing 7 people to go in at a time, so I thought that this was going to take forever, but I was wrong.
| A supermarket employee disinfected everyone's shopping carts while we waited in line |
We got in within 15 minutes and there were other people already shopping. I thought only 7 people were allowed to shop and when they were done, 7 more people would be allowed in, but that wasn't the case. The supermarket was only trying to slow down the number of people going in so that there wouldn't be a super large crowd inside. Unfortunately, some people didn't know how to follow the rules.
I've said this before, and I'll say it again. Argentines don't usually cover their mouths when they yawn, cough, or sneeze, which is annoying but potentially fatal in this day and age. A couple of people started coughing and sneezing and they weren't covering their mouths the way the Argentine Ministry of Health instructed them to do. They weren't wearing masks either, so the first thing we thought when we heard people hacking their lungs out was, we have to get the f*ck out of here.
We stuck it out but stirred clear of people whenever they got too close. Fortunately, we were able to find everything we needed on our list, which was a pleasant surprise. We've been monitoring local chatter on social media and people have been complaining about supermarkets not having enough bread, milk or toilet paper. But the supermarket we went to was fully stocked and more importantly, they didn't have any restrictions on how many items one could get per household.
So we headed to the register where everyone in line had to maintain a respectable distance. I really wish they would adopt this concept on a permanent basis.
When we got to the register, we noticed a partition separating the cashier from us, but it wasn't the only safety measure. They were all wearing masks and latex gloves, too. So I got worried, but not because of that.
I was afraid that my money wouldn't be any good. We heard a rumor that the supermarkets weren't accepting cash because they were afraid this would help the virus spread, but that wasn't the case at all. The total came out to almost $5,000 Argentine Pesos, which is about $77.92 USD. Usually we only spend about $2,500 Argentine pesos for our groceries, but given the country's spiraling economic decline, I wasn't surprised by the increase in grocery expenses.
We made it home in one piece and sterilized our food items with Lysol Wipes before putting them away. Was the last step overkill? Maybe. But I figured it's better to be safe than to get crowned with Corona.
Now we just have to figure out how we're going to pay our bills, which are due in the next ten days. We normally pay through a service called RapiPago, but most of the locations are closed for now. They were offering the payment service at the supermarket we went to, but you have to have your bills printed. Unfortunately, my printer's broken and the copy centers in our areas are all shut down. So I'm looking for ways to pay online, but that's a story for another day.
Hopefully, this crisis will be over soon, though realistically, the Argentine government will probably extend the quarantine until Easter.
