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Grocery deliverers on standby

Ready to go: Leanne Evans and Carl Vincent with the DropIt Delivery scooter. Their business is one of a number of grocery delivery services awaiting news on whether they can continue during the Shelter in Place period (File photograph by Blaire Simmons)

Bermuda’s grocery delivery businesses were unsure last evening whether they will be allowed to continue operating during the 14-day Covid-19 lockdown that begins tomorrow morning.Carl Vincent of DropIt Delivery advised customers in late afternoon that he was expecting a decision from Government last evening, but the topic wasn’t addressed at the Premier’s nightly press conference.Mr Vincent said afterwards: “I am thinking maybe it’s going to come out tomorrow. Maybe they are thinking about it now that they know what we think.”He added: “We’re on standby until we know.”The DropIt co-owner and Colin Rego, owner of delivery service Sargasso Sea, have both sought clarification from Government about whether their grocery delivery businesses will be allowed to operate during the shelter-in-place lockdown.Earlier yesterday, Zach Moniz of Lindo’s, said he was “still waiting for confirmation” about whether his store’s in-house delivery service could operate after the lockdown goes into place tomorrow at 6am.Yesterday afternoon, in a message to customers, DropIt wrote: “The question of the day is ... will we still be delivering?”DropIt said they were no longer accepting new orders, adding: “All pre-existing orders for delivery and pick-up are still on track but are all dependent on the government decision that will be announced this evening.“If delivery is not allowed, we will be able to prepare orders for kerbside pick-up. But we will cross that bridge when we get there.”DropIt, which delivers groceries for Lindo’s in Warwick, was launched by Mr Vincent and his business partner Leanne Evans in June last year.Mr Vincent said recently that the company’s delivery volumes have increased by 200 per cent.Sargasso Sea began grocery deliveries for MarketPlace stores last Monday. The company has made more than 350 deliveries to date, Mr Rego said yesterday.The Lindo’s in-house delivery service stopped accepting online orders yesterday due to “excess demand”, the store said in a Facebook post.