Baker’s supermarket capacity order a welcome measure

Gov. Baker’s new guidelines for supermarkets, which require grocery stores to limit occupancy to no more than 40%, is a boost for social distancing measures. But it’s also a boon for customers’ peace of mind in a time when a trip to get milk and other essentials can be nerve-wracking.

Customers may wear masks, even gloves, and follow the markings spaced six feet apart on the floor, to keep the required distance from other shoppers. But it all goes to hell when one hits the checkout line, which is, naturally, a line.

Limiting a store’s capacity — including staff — to 40% allows for some real space, and the opportunity not to bunch up when it’s time to get checked out.

The executive order was issued Wednesday as the state braces for a surge in coronavirus cases.

One can expect lines to form outside stores as shoppers wait for others to leave before they can enter, but supermarket staff are required to monitor the line and ensure social distancing

Baker’s made a lot of good moves amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and this is just the latest. The governor said last week that Massachusetts is expecting a surge in hospitalizations from the virus to hit between April 10 and April 20. For those who must go out to get food for their families, the extra step of limiting the amount of people in grocery stores takes some of the fear out of a task that is no longer mundane.

And for supermarket workers who have to face the public every day, this is a much-needed addition to their own safety precautions.