MA Coronavirus: Seniors-Only Hours At Market Basket, Whole Foods

WILMINGTON, MA — More Massachusetts grocery stores announced Wednesday that they will be offering special early hours for senior customers, due to their high vulnerability to the new coronavirus. Market Basket, Whole Foods and Target are all carving out at least an hour per week for customers 60 and over. Stop & Shop led the way, announcing Monday that it will be open only to customers 60 and over for 90 minutes each morning, from 6 to 7:30 a.m..

Market Basket: Market Basket stores will be open only to customers 60 and older, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 5:30 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.

Whole Foods: Whole Foods stores will open one hour early for customers 60 and older, under new adjusted hours at each store.

Target: Target stores will be open only to "vulnerable guests, including the elderly and those with underlying health concerns" for the first hour each Wednesday.

Stop & Shop: The grocery store chain will be open only for customers over 60 from 6 to 7:30 a.m. daily.

Aldi and Trader Joe's have announced adjusted hours and elevated cleaning protocols.

>>Coronavirus: New Stop & Shop Early Hours For 60+ Customers

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Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.