No rush for food in San Fernando

Despite the hype on social media about people “camping” outside food outlets waiting to rush in for their favourite foods, in San Fernando on Monday morning it was a far cry from that.

At KFC at Gulf View Link Road, La Romaine, a few customers waited in their cars for the outlet to open, having been closed for six weeks owing to the covid19 pandemic.

At around 10am, staff allowed the first batch of customers inside. Of the first five was Paula Mohammed, who said she was not eating KFC even before the Government imposed the restrictions.

All were wearing face masks.

“We (family) were fasting for Lent, so we were not eating meat. Then the restrictions were imposed,” Mohammed said in the car park.

At the Coffee Street KFC outlet, a worker was seen sanitising before opening the business. Again, there were only a few customers. They too were adhering to government guidelines on physical distancing as well as public gatherings which are still limited to five.

At Cross Crossing, San Fernando, doubles vendor Rana Tobias said she and her staff came out at about 7 am. It came as no surprise that there were fewer customers on Monday, the first day of the lifted restrictions which now allows for food operations to resume, she said.

“As expected, it is a little slower than what they have become accustomed to before the pandemic,” she told Newsday. “We just have to cope with everything and thank God that we are alive.”

At Penitence Street, people trickled in to buy from Ramdeo’s Doubles.

“We came out at about 7am and it has been somewhat busy.”

No rush of people was converging when Newsday visited. Most customers pulled up in their cars, placed their orders, collected them and left.