Fulton Oriental Store is going beyond a mere mop-down to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The Asian market, owned by Hope Doyle and her husband, has introduced a number of precautions to help kill germs. Placed outside the front door is a towel soaked in a bleach solution, which Doyle invites customers to step in before stepping inside. By the front counter, customers can pick up a fresh pair of plastic gloves. And of course, anyone is welcome to use the sink to wash their hands.
"I started that yesterday," Doyle said, of the shoe-washing station. "My husband was actually laughing at me, and he said, 'Well, what's that supposed to do? Disinfect your shoes? Why?'"
But for Doyle, the question isn't why, it's why not - even small measures could help slow the spread of COVID-19.
"I'm just like that or probably I'm really just paranoid as a person - I think that's why I have all these in place," Doyle said, gesturing to the glove station. "I'm naturally just like this. I'm always very cautious - I'm selling food here, so I've just got to be cautious for me and my customers as well."
Doyle has always had an interest in health: She was trained as a nurse in the Philippines, her home country.
"I'm from the Philippines, and I always also monitor news from back home - that's basically where I get all my info," she said.
Doyle got the recipe for her disinfecting solution - 1 cup bleach, 9 cups water and a bit of essential oil for scent - from her cousins in the Philippines. She uses it to regularly wipe down freezers and counters in the store.
"A lot of people would look at the Philippines as a third-world country," Doyle said. "We are not really equipped for any kind of disaster like this."
On Friday, CNN Philippines reported 803 cases in the country, including 54 deaths; test kits are in short supply.
Even so, Doyle believes the Philippines has taken more drastic measures to contain the virus than she has seen in the U.S. Much of her home country is under a stay-at-home order, enforced by checkpoints dotting the islands.
"Over here, what I've been hearing the past few weeks is people are more concerned about their freedoms, instead of trying to help the government contain the spread of the virus," she said.
She said she doesn't understand why there is no local shelter-in-place order. The Fulton City Council recently decided not to include the power to set a curfew or close businesses in a recent emergency ordinance.
Business at the store has been slow, though Doyle said there was an initial rush of customers last week as members of the Filipino community stocked up on necessities.
Doyle began planning for COVID-19 last month, when she made sure to order rice from the store's suppliers. The store has placed a 10 pound limit on rice sales to ensure there's enough to go around. As of Friday, shelves were still well-stocked with rice, ramen, flour and other staples.
Though the future's uncertain, Doyle said she hopes once the situation settles, there will be opportunities for the store to grow.
"We're actually looking at expanding and opening a cafe right on the other side of the building," Doyle said. "It's going to be Filipino-American cuisine. Filipino cuisine is like a fusion of Spanish and Chinese, and put American in there and a little bit of Indian. We're hoping to open the restaurant by summer."