Mount Pleasant Magazine Documenting Covid-19

94 www.CoronavirusMag.com | www.ReadMPM.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com feature not only a safer alternative to in-person shopping and take- out—they have become a necessity for the most vulnerable among us. For individuals with chronic health conditions or compromised immune systems who are more susceptible to COVID-19, chancing crowds could mean endangering one’s life. It is no surprise that online grocery delivery services such as Shipt are experiencing an “unprecedented rise in demand” for home delivery during the outbreak. To help prevent coronavirus’ spread, Shipt and others are implementing public health precautions including no- contact deliveries in which shoppers leave orders in a secure spot outside your door. The default setting on their app is now “Leave My Order at My Door.” Another grocery delivery service app seeing historic demand and backlogs, Instacart, has launched a “Leave at My Door Delivery” option that is in effect nationwide. The surge in delivery requests has challenged even retail giants, such as Amazon and Walmart. Amazon, which owns Whole Foods and operates its own grocery delivery service called Amazon Fresh, has struggled to meet the skyrocketing demand. Order back-ups have been commonplace as slots quickly fill, and both companies are hiring thousands more employees amid a global economic downturn. Seniors are another at-risk population segment that must be particularly wary of personal interaction. Mount Pleasant’s Sandpiper Retirement Community has been offering free delivery of groceries and supplies to any senior over 60 living in town, on the islands or in Awendaw, who is sheltering in place or quarantined due to COVID-19. Not every delivery service has taken off though. Clint Weimann, CEO of the Charleston-based courier service Bullet Deliveries, said they lost business within the first three days of non-essential closures. Approximately 75 percent of their operation entails delivering legal and mail documents to offices, most of which have shut down during the pandemic. The outbreak has required thinking outside the box, including partnering with several area restaurants on delivery. Weimann has been in talks with local grocery store general managers about assisting with back-logged grocery deliveries, but movement is slow because every decision must go through corporate. “It makes sense from our perspective to offer that service,” Weimann said. Upon hearing about COVID-19, Bullet Deliveries convened an emergency employee training session and equipped every driver with sanitizer containing 70% or more alcohol (CDC recommends at least 60%). Drivers spray the entire outside of every delivery package and affix the package with an official sticker assuring customers it has been disinfected. They maintain contactless delivery and have developed a contingency plan with a back-up fleet of drivers if their employees must be quarantined. Additionally, local restaurants, pharmacies and other businesses that have the ability are adjusting to fit the paradigm shift of contactless consumerism. Many of their Facebook pages feature updated banner photos reflecting delivery options offered through themselves or a third party. Some area restaurants entered into contracts with internet food-ordering services, including Grubhub, Uber Eats, DoorDash and Postmates, which have shifted their approach to offer contactless drop-offs and even waiving of delivery fees. Morgan Aycock, a Mount Pleasant resident who works