Business & Tech
Walmart Limiting Customers Inside Stores: GA Coronavirus
Walmart announced that it will limit the number of customers inside at a time to practice social distancing.
ATLANTA, GA — Walmarts across Georgia will limit how many customers can enter its stores at a time. The company announced the policy change Friday night on its website as a way to practice social distancing.
It’s implementing the new capacity limit in stores nationwide.
“Starting Saturday, we will limit the number of customers who can be in a store at once. Stores will now allow no more than five customers for each 1,000 square feet at a given time, roughly 20 percent of a store’s capacity.”
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Walmart employees will mark a queue at a single-entry door and count customers as they are directed inside one-by-one. There will be signage reminding customers about social distancing.
Stores will now allow no more than five customers for each 1,000 square feet at a given time, roughly 20 percent of a store’s capacity. Once a store reaches its capacity, customers will be admitted inside on a “1-out-1-in" basis.
Find out what's happening in Atlantafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“We’ll also institute one-way movement through our aisles next week in a number of our stores, using floor markers and direction from associates,” the statement said. “We expect this to help more customers avoid coming into close contact with others as they shop.”
Read the full statement here.
On March 14, Walmart announced in a blog post that it would cut back its hours at its 24-hour locations across the United States.
Dacona Smith, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Walmart U.S., wrote on the website:
“To better support our associates and serve our customers, we will adjust our operating hours beginning Sunday, March 15. Walmart stores and Neighborhood Markets will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. until further notice. This will help ensure associates are able to stock the products our customers are looking for and to perform cleaning and sanitizing. Stores currently operating under more reduced hours (for example they regularly close at 10 p.m. or open at 7 a.m.) will keep their current hours of operation.”
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More than 1 million COVID-19 cases are confirmed worldwide and more than 60,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins reported Saturday morning. The U.S. has over 278,000 cases, the most of any country as of Saturday.
Of Georgia's coronavirus cases, 58 percent are between ages 18 and 59, while those above the age of 60 make up 36 percent, according to a Georgia Department of Health report. People up to age 17 represent 1 percent of cases, and the remaining percentage of cases have unknown ages.
As of Saturday morning, Fulton County's 910 cases are the most of any Georgia locality. The next highest totals are 607 in Dougherty County, DeKalb with 483 cases, Cobb with 422 cases, Gwinnett with 353 cases, Bartow with 159 cases, Carroll with 147 cases and Clayton with 206 cases.
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