By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

SUPER Value owner Rupert Roberts says he is seeking permission for his employees to buy groceries on Wednesday after the privilege was granted to employees of the AML Group of Companies despite the seven-day lockdown.

AML employees have been allowed to shop at Solomon’s Supercentre on East West Highway from 11am to 3pm Tuesday.

“We were not aware that we could open,” Mr Roberts told The Tribune on Tuesday. “Nobody informed us that we could open. After hearing Solomon’s could open to serve their staff, we’re requesting to open tomorrow. We will request two stores and permission to open from 9am to 6pm to serve the staff because we have a large staff. Our stores are a wreck. We will request permission to go Monday and restock them. (There are) also (reports of a) hurricane coming so we are requesting to put up hurricane shutters.”

Local weather officials are watching two systems in the Atlantic Ocean that could develop into storms later in the week.

Meanwhile, Mr Roberts said about a quarter of Super Value's shoppers visited stores on Monday, burdening workers.

“Staff didn’t get time to shop on Monday,” he said, “ so we fed them hot tea, coffee, Vitamalt, food from the deli, we tried to keep them standing up and they didn’t have time to buy anything for themselves.”

He said he does not believe lockdowns are the way to solve the COVID-19 health crisis.

“I’m hearing stories of people going next door for water and getting arrested,” he said. “It’s strict. There’s going to be a lot of mistakes so we have to get through this. Whether the government did the right thing or not we have to support it in a way then move forward. From what I’m seeing worldwide, the World Health Organisation says lockdowns are counterproductive and have asked countries to stop them.

“I said that a long time ago and I think we should let the fit and able bodied go out there, restore the economy and practice the sanitation and social distancing and all the things that prevent it while the people with issues stay inside. It appears that you could lick a doorknob that somebody with COVID-19 has touched and chances are you won’t get it. You get this from droplets so I’d like us to take another path.”