Walmart, the largest retailer and private employer in the United States, is limiting store hours at big box stores as well as its smaller grocery locations to help ensure workers are able to stock essentials like sanitizers and toilet paper.
Starting Sunday, more than 4,700 Walmart and Neighborhood Market locations in the US will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 pm. until further notice. Prior to this, most supersized stores were typically open 24 hours, and some Neighborhood stores were too.
Dacona Smith, chief operating officer, said “I don’t think any of us have been through an experience like this, and we continue to be amazed at what people, whether in the stores or in the supply chain, are doing to make sure customers have what they need,”
The list of retailers beyond Apple announcing they will temporarily close their stores as the outbreak intensifies keeps growing. They now include Urban Outfitters, Everlane, Patagonia, Nike and Abercrombie & Fitch.
Stay home
Just across the Hudson River from New York City, a New Jersey city is imposing a curfew on residents amid the virus outbreak.
Hoboken residents must stay in their homes from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. beginning Monday, a daily curfew that’s among the first and most far-reaching such measures taken in the US
Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla announced Saturday night that exceptions will be made for emergencies and people required to work. He also said bars and restaurants can only offer takeout and delivery services.
New Jersey has 69 virus cases statewide and two virus-related deaths.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, reacting to announcement of the curfew in Hoboken, New Jersey, that a lockdown in the nation’s largest city couldn’t be ruled out.
“Every option is on the table in a crisis,” the Democrat said Sunday on CNN.
Also in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the Army Corps of Engineers should be mobilized by equipping facilities like military bases or college dorms to serve as temporary medical centres.
In an opinion piece Sunday in The New York Times, Cuomo called on Donald Trump to authorize states to expand testing capabilities, set federal standards for shutting down commerce and schools, and mobilize the military to bolster medical treatment capabilities.
He wrote that “states cannot build more hospitals, acquire ventilators or modify facilities quickly enough,” adding they need the expertise and equipment of the Army Corps.
The government’s top official on infectious diseases says he’s worried about the health risks of long lines and crowding at US airports amid new coronavirus travel restrictions.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover.
Travellers from restricted countries in Europe, China and Iran are being advised to self-quarantine for 14 days after reaching their final destination in the US.