DAMASCUS, Md. — It appears the COVID-19 pandemic may have paused the time-honored D.C. area tradition of rushing to stores for milk, bread and toilet paper ahead of a major snowstorm.
People are already stocked up and hunkered down due to the COVID-19 pandemic and there is little need to buy more, according to some shoppers.
"I know in my house I looked and we have like 60 rolls of toilet paper and there's only 2 of us!", laughed shopper Gary Gibson outside a Weis Market in Damascus Maryland Friday.
Other shoppers observed that many of us now accustomed to being cooped up at home under pandemic restrictions.
"There's bigger problems in the world, I feel," said one shopper leaving the store with only a few items in hand.
"We're overdue," said shopper Mary Ann Dissoma. "It's been a mild winter in my opinion, so a little cold a little snow maybe it'll get rid of this virus."
Damascus resident John Stant said he is looking forward to a change of winter scenery after a long period without a major snowfall.
"We haven't seen any yet and I like snow!" Stant said.
In Germantown, a Home Depot store had ample supplies of salt and snow shovels.
Road workers report working long shifts pretreating roads with salt brine.