Frustrated business owners and customers can kiss annoying curbside shopping goodbye as Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis will announce the end to curbside shopping and the resumption of in-store shopping when he addresses the nation this weekend.
As of Monday, stores will be permitted to allow a limited number of shoppers inside to make purchases, according to OPM insiders.
According to the latest Emergency Order, all stores are limited to curbside shopping with the exception of grocery stores.
The business community has called on the Competent Authority to reconsider this policy as it is killing their already dwindling profits.
This ill-advised restriction prompted several stores to temporarily close as the thought of serving customers at the door did not seem logical. The stores that remained open have found the process of sending employees back and forth to retrieve items for customers waiting in the parking lot to be difficult.
The elimination of curbside shopping is just one of several restrictions Minnis is expected to roll back next week, amid a decrease in new Covid-19 cases.
Minnis is expected to allow more mourners to attend funeral services in churches and couples to marry in church with a larger number of guests.
Restaurants are also expected to resume outdoor dining with social distancing protocols enforced.
Insiders have also told the Gallery that Minnis is reconsidering the full weekend lockdown. However, they could not confirm this.
According to the latest numbers, there are 34 new Covid-19 cases. However, some medical experts and the opposition suspect this may be the result of lower COVID testing as opposed to the government’s ability to finally get the spread of the vicious virus under control.