Opinion: Social distancing out the window in wild Woolies scenes

The shameful scenes that unfolded at Brisbane’s only open Woolworths on Good Friday were a reminder that too many people still don’t get it, or don’t care, writes Kylie Lang.

WOOLWORTHS should have closed all its stores on Good Friday, instead of creating a mecca for morons to potentially create a coronavirus cluster.

Idiots crammed into the aisles of the only open Brisbane store, picking up “essentials” like Coke and lollies; some travelled in family packs because one person alone could not read a shopping list.

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The queues were stupidly long outside the Skygate supermarket at Brisbane Airport, which in itself beggars belief.

Could you not go one day without a shopping fix?

Did you miss the advanced warning of the closure of your local shops (where you should be going, not taking a cut lunch on a day trip to the airport)?

Could you not have planned ahead, just a little, or come up with a healthier activity?

Shoppers pack in to Woolworths Skygate yesterday. Picture: Annette Dew

While shopping might have morphed into a national pastime for some, now is not the time to indulge yourselves in mindless meandering.

The advice has been crystal clear from authorities. Stay at home unless you absolutely need essentials, and even then, go in and out quickly, then get the hell back to your castle.

What unfolded yesterday in Woolies has been repeated across the country previously, with poor (read non-existent) monitoring of aisle traffic.

As I’ve written before, people are ultimately responsible for their own behaviour, whether in shopping centres, farmers’ markets, on beaches or anywhere else.

The trouble is too many people still don’t get it, or don’t care.

Shoppers pack in to Woolworths Skygate yesterday. Picture: Annette Dew

If the government allows certain places to remain open, then those establishments have a legal right to do so. Yet they also have a moral obligation – make that duty of care – to facilitate safe passage.

They must be consistent about enforcing social distancing.

You can’t have a queue of 220 people (allegedly standing 1.5m apart) outside a supermarket, as at Woolies at Skygate, but then allow shoppers to pile into the aisles once inside.

Should police have been present to slap $1334 fines on shoppers breaking social distancing rules?

Yes, if we had enough officers to spare, which we don’t.

The debacle that was Woolies at Skygate should never have been allowed to happen.

Putting profits before people is wrong even in the best of times.