Albertsons and Safeway offer special hours for shoppers at risk of coronavirus issues
Those at risk for severe complications from the coronavirus will have shopping hours reserved just for them at Albertsons and Safeway stores beginning Thursday.
Albertsons Companies announced Tuesday that nearly all of its 2,200-plus stores across the U.S. will offer the special shopping times.
“We know that some of our most vulnerable neighbors are senior citizens and other at-risk populations, such as pregnant women or those with compromised immune systems, who have been advised to avoid leaving home as much as possible,” Albertsons said in the announcement.
The special shopping hours are scheduled 7-9 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday.
“We are sensitive to the fact that everyone is anxious to make sure they have the items they need, and we also know that everyone wants their neighbors to stay safe and healthy, too,” the company said.
The company asked those who do not fall into a vulnerable category to respect the reserved shopping periods.
Coronavirus is spread through contact between people within 6 feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s possible to catch COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, by touching something that has the virus on it and then touching your own face, “but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath, which may occur two days to two weeks after exposure. The disease is especially dangerous for the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 7:59 PM with the headline "Albertsons and Safeway offer special hours for shoppers at risk of coronavirus issues."
