Image: Google Maps
Dale Boyd
Osoyoos Times
The Osoyoos Shell gas station owner is not allowing foot traffic into his convenience store and encouraging other gas stations in town to follow suit, instead offering service through passthrough windows.
Gagan Atwal, Osoyoos Shell owner, met with management at other gas stations around town last week to discuss closing all convenience stores at gas stations in town to foot traffic.
“We’re not going to let people come inside the convenience store, rather we’ll have them order at a window. Or in our case, we don’t have a window what we have done is create a wooden partition where people can just enter the door and reach at the counter,” Atwal said.
Signage will direct customers to the area and the cashier will retrieve what customers need and bring it to the passthrough.
Atwal said he has been in contact with other gas stations in town to discuss similar precautions and the manager of the two Husky stations in town has sent the request to upper management at Husky.
“The last thing we want is an infected person to come in and touch a bag of chips here and chocolates there and then a healthy person getting those things for them,” Atwal said. “There is no way we can clean it and we are concerned for the community, there are so many old people and they are the worst hit. We don’t want that which is why we are taking those steps.”
While Atwal has approached almost all gas station owners and managers in town, some are reducing hours and others are following similar procedures to Atwal’s.
Atwal said the change is no reason for panic.
“We are still going to be open, regular hours, it’s just that we are reducing the handprints in the store and leaving it just at the counter level. Some people might not like it but it’s for their safety,” Atwal said.
