Bentonville, A.R. – On Friday, Walmart announced that they would begin new efforts geared towards creating safe shopping experiences during the coronavirus pandemic. The changes went into effect on Saturday, with stores limiting the number of customers who can be in the store at once.
In their blog post, Walmart stated that no more than 5 customers are allowed per every 1,000 square feet in the store. That is roughly 20 percent of a stores normal capacity.
Walmart further explained that customers will enter the store most likely through the grocery entrance. When they arrive, they will be counted and allowed to enter the store on a one-by-one basis, and once inside will follow one way signs through the aisles. Customers are encouraged to avoid close contact with each other and practice safe social distancing.
As customers exit, they will be directed to leave through other exits in the store. Once one customer leaves, a new customer will be allowed in one-by-one.
Walmart has continued to ramp up their response to tackle the continued spread of the coronavirus. Along with ensuring that gloves and masks are readily available for their employees, they have changed store hours, closing them at night to help ensure that they remain stocked and sanitized for their customers. Walmart added that they are adding new policies to ensure that their employees have more options for paid leave.
Along with Walmart, other major U.S. retailers like Target and Best Buy have announced that they have began stricter social distancing measures. On Thursday, Target announced(https://corporate.target.com/press/releases/2020/04/safety-measures) that the number of customers in each store would vary and depend on the location of each store.
So far, in the United States there have been 305,934 confirmed cases, and 8,306 reported deaths due to the coronavirus.
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