Calvert County recommends scheduling trips to grocery stores based on last names of shoppers

A Maryland county is recommending shoppers visit grocery and convenience stores on scheduled days based on their last names to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

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The Calvert County Health Department released the recommendations on Wednesday. Their plan calls for voluntarily limiting trips for groceries to once every five days based on the following schedule:

- Last name starting with A-C shop on dates ending with 0 and 5

- Last name starting with D-G shop on dates ending with 1 and 6

- Last name starting with H-L shop on dates ending with 2 and 7

- Last name starting with M-R shop on dates ending with 3 and 8

- Last name starting with S-Z shop on dates ending with 4 and 9

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Health officials strongly recommend customers and employees wear basic face masks and stores will be required to properly disinfect all shopping carts or make antiseptic wipes available to customers at the entrance.

The health department also says people waiting in lines at deli counters, checkouts, and other areas in and out of stores must space at least six feet apart and occupancy of retailers will be limited to five people per 1,000 square feet.

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