Walmart announced it would put in place new measures to stem the potential spread of the coronavirus in its stores.
“While many of our customers have been following the advice of the medical community regarding social distancing and safety, we have been concerned to still see some behaviors in our stores that put undue risk on our people,” the company’s Executive Vice President Dacona Smith said in a statement on Friday. “We want to encourage customers to bring the fewest number of people per family necessary to shop, allow for space with other customers while shopping, and practice social distancing while waiting in lines.”
The company said it would limit the number customers in its store to five people per every 1,000 square feet of the store. There will be a “1-out-1-in” policy when the store reaches capacity.
Walmart said they would “institute one-way movement through our aisles” using floor markers and associates to give directions. “We expect this to help more customers avoid coming into close contact with others as they shop,” the company’s statement said.
Vice President Mike Pence visited one of Walmart’s distribution centers earlier this week. His visit was to see the company’s supply chain and also to thank them on behalf of the Trump administration.
The company announced last month it would be giving over $500 million in early bonuses to employees because of the coronavirus outbreak.
