As more essential service outlets start to become overwhelmed at the stress upon their food delivery operations; and with more food store employees necessarily absent due to the coronavirus spread; regionally, the food supply chain will becoming more dependent on food bank distribution.

If the virus spread continues at current pace, some regional supermarkets with multiple locations will likely begin targeted shut-downs by retreating and disbursing available healthy (non-infected) employees on a store-by-store basis.  The potential for this issue is most likely to first originate within urban communities; and then outflow.

This reality is starting to become more evident in localized communities, and a distribution center in the greater Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area gives a great example of what could become increasingly common across the nation.

Approximately 1,500 cars line up to receive essential food products from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Center.  The capacity was anticipated around 1,700 at the beginning of the three hour event. 1,500 cars were in line before it began.  [Video Story]

This phase, the phase everyone is hoping to avoid, is not a total supply issue; there is no shortage of food products.  The issue becomes one of local distribution where diminished workforce capacity begins to have an impact on the local provider.