Grocery stores taking precautions
In this Feb. 28 file photo, rows of hand sanitizer are seen empty at a Walgreens in Idaho Falls.
(John Roark/The Idaho Post-Register via AP, file)
SANDPOINT — Grocery stores in and around Bonner County are amending their operations in order to reduce the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus.
Safeway and Albertsons stores in Washington state will limit the number of customers who can be inside the store at one time to roughly 30 percent of the stores’ capacity. Those store are also implementing a one-way movement policy in aisles.
The Sandpoint Safeway did not implement those policies on Monday, although the store is reserving the right to restrict capacity if the 6-foot social distancing guideline cannot be achieved. The company is installing Plexiglass partitions in checkout lanes as protective barriers for employees and customers on both sides of the border.
Cloth masks — both reusable and disposable — are also being made available to all Safeway and Albertsons employees.
Safeway and Albertsons are also adopting Centers for Disease & Prevention guidelines for personal hygiene and surface cleaning.
Yoke’s in Ponderay is limiting high-demand items to two per customer in order to serve as many people as possible. It’s also adopted enhanced cleaning and sanitation protocols, the company said.
Winter Ridge Natural Foods Market has updated its curbside grocery pickup. Pickup slots are on a first come/first serve each day and names are added to a waiting list if pickup slots fill up for the day.
Winter Ridge is also asking its customers to avoid the urge to panic buy so people who don’t have the budget flexibility to stock up aren’t left in the lurch.
Super 1 Foods, meanwhile, has increased the frequency of its cleaning and sanitation procedures in areas of food preparation and high-touch surfaces. It’s making hand sanitizer and grocery cart wipes available at entrances.
Walmart announced it on Saturday it would also be limiting the number of customers who could be its stores at one time. Stores aren’t allowing more five customers per thousand feet of at a given time, which is roughly 20 percent of a store’s capacity. Once a store reaches capacity, customers would be admitted in a one-in/one-out basis. Some store were also set to implement one-way movement through aisles.
Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.