After two employees at a Chicago-area Walmart were killed by the coronavirus, the retailer stepped up cleaning and social distancing policies, according to MSN.
Employees Wando Evans, 51, and Phillip Thomas, 48, had not been to work at the Evergreen Park location in more than a week. Both had underlying medical conditions, according to the Chicago Tribune.
»RELATED: Walmart mandates one-way aisles, employees' masks, gloves in response to coronavirus
"We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of two associates at our Evergreen Park store, and we are mourning along with their families," Walmart spokesman Payton McCormick said. "While neither associate had been at the store in more than a week, we took action to reinforce our cleaning and sanitizing measures, which include a thorough deep cleaning of a key area of the store."
The Evergreen Park location has responded by hiring a third-party company to sanitize high-touch areas, though the store remains open.
Additionally, Walmart has continued to adapt its policies in previous days to address communities’ coronavirus concerns.
Most recently, the retailer is limiting the number of patrons to "allow no more than five customers for each 1,000 square feet at a given time, roughly 20% of a store's capacity."
The stores operate on one entrance and exit to enforce the rule, most commonly the grocery entrance.
"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." — Dacona Smith, Walmart executive vice president and chief operating officer
Walmart will continue to check employees’ temperatures, host seniors-only shopping hours and enforce one-way aisles in order to let people shop for essentials more safely.
»COMPLETE COVERAGE: CORONAVIRUS
»Here's a list of retail chains that have closed stores or altered hours
About the Author
