NORFOLK, Va. — Week four of quarantine in Virginia is giving a lot of folks cabin fever. More and more people seem to be leaving the house.
Essential stores now have lines outside as staff keeps with social distancing.
“There’s definitely, I feel like more people out,” said shopper Rachel Milcarek.
Lines to get into stores are becoming the new normal in Hampton Roads.
“I went to Home Depot earlier and it was just too long,” said shopper Michael Rinado. “Even like Sam’s Club, it was like half a mile long in the mornings.”
But many said the wait outside beats sitting at home.
“Enjoyment now is like grocery stores or hardware,” said shopper Chantel Monsanto.
She was after a new filter from Lowe’s and a change of scenery.
“My daughter and I are going to take a walk after we finish our errands,” Monsanto said. “Just to get fresh air.”
Others are out finding busy work.
“I’m building a laundry room, so I need all my supplies for that,” Milcarek said.
Some are trying out their green thumb.
“I lost both my jobs during the day,” said shopper Jennifer Broussard. “I think for most of us, we are doing a lot of projects outside. This has been good therapy in a lot of ways for most people.”
Hunter Carter owns Carter’s Country Corner in Chesapeake. He said business is booming, but their outside space makes social distancing easy.
“We have three and a half acres here,” Carter said. “We keep them spread. We try to help the people as fast as we can so we can get them on out of there. We only let one person in the building at a time.”
East Coast Bicycles in Ghent staff said people are also after ways to keep their families active.
“About maybe week 2 of quarantine, everybody just started showing up,” said Elijah Shipp. “Everyone wanted to get outside. They had cabin fever.”
Whether it is a purchase or fresh air they are after, many are prepared to work around store restrictions.
“The waiting isn’t great, so I try to do store pick-up,” Milcarek said.
“It takes a little bit more time,” Monsanto said. “But, in the end, it is worth it, I guess.”
Governor Ralph Northam’s stay-at-home order is still set to end on June 10, which is seven weeks away.