Larry Lonigro, owner of Lonigro’s Supermarket in Gerald, is going the extra mile to ensure the health and safety of his customers. A plan is already in place to provide shoppers with the most sanitary shopping experience possible. Staff has been trained on disinfection processes, the use of disposable gloves, and wiping down surfaces after each use. Disinfecting wipes are available for customers to clean the handles of the shopping carts.

Lonigro is also going the extra mile to keep the high risk population home and safe. He is accepting call-in orders and debit/credit card payments by phone. He also has a list of people who have volunteered to deliver the groceries once the order has been filled. Shoppers can call the store at 573-764-2691 or 4140 for more information.

The local Dollar General store will be closing an hour earlier than normal, at 9 p.m. in order to sanitize the entire store each night. They will open each day at 8 a.m., as usual, but ask that the first hour of business be reserved for those shoppers at high risk. Other shoppers are encouraged to shop after 9 a.m.

Medley’s Pharmacy continues their delivery service to customers in the city limits. They may be able to adapt the policy to serve who live just out of town. In addition, they are offering curb-side pick up for anyone who is ill or has a fever in order to help contain the spread of the virus. For more information, you may call them at 573-764-5980. Of course, they too are practicing good safety/sanitizing procedures.

If you know of a high-risk individual who lives alone, please phone them regularly to make sure they are okay.

A little common sense and a lot of helping hands will go a long way in getting through this crisis.