Coronavirus in Scotland: Cornershop gives away facemasks and hand gel to OAPs

A cornershop is giving away facemasks, antibacterial hand gel and cleaning wipes to OAPs in a bid to stop the spread of Coronavirus.

By Scotsman Reporter Thursday, 12th March 2020, 12:15 pm Updated Thursday, 12th March 2020, 12:16 pm

Customers over the age of 65 can pick up a goody bag at Day Today Express, in Stenhousemuir, Falkirk.

Elderly and infirm shoppers can have the bag delivered to them for free.

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The remarkable act of generosity is costing the business nearly £2,000, as each bag costs £2 to put together and so far £500 have been delivered.

Shopkeepers Asiyah Javed and husband Jawad from Day Today Express, in Stenhousemuir, Falkirk

Another 300 are ready to be collected in the shop.

Shopkeeper Asiyah Javed, 34, stocked up on hand gel at a Cash and Carry, before Coronavirus had reached Scotland.

But on Saturday [March 7], she and husband Jawad, 35, decided it was time to help out elderly shoppers - after thinking about how her late grandparents would have struggled.

Mum-of-three Asiyah said: "We have given away 500 bags.

"On Saturday I was out, and I met an old woman, she was crying because she had been to the supermarket and there was no hand wash.

"I feel it is not fair on elderly people, some can't get out the house.

"We are delivering 30 packages to a care home where there are 30 people living, and we've got another couple of hundred in the shop.

"Some people are asking for them to be delivered as they're old, or disabled, or don't drive.

"We are just trying to help people who can't get out the house."

She said the gesture had provoked ridicule from some people, and added: "Other shoppers are calling us stupid, and saying 'why are you giving them away for free?'.

"But money is not everything, there will be the opportunity to make money in future.

"I started stockpiling hand gel when I heard about Coronavirus, from the cash and carry.

"People thought I was going to sell them, but I had this in my mind.

"I thought 'it's time to give now', not when Coronavirus is here.

"You don't want to give them out when people have already got the virus.

"Other shopkeepers are buying them to sell, we are buying them to give away."

Asiyah and her husband delivered milk free of charge to elderly people during the Beast from the East, in spring 2018.

She added: "My grandparents have passed away, but we still think of them when we see all this.

"We spent a lot of time with our grandparents and we feel that if they were alive we wouldn't want them to be struggling.

"We are trying to help the older people out, if they were young they would have got to the supermarket but some of them can't because they are old.

"We are making a loss, each bag costs £2.