Publix has announced another change in hours amid the coronavirus pandemic, tweeting on Tuesday, March 17 that store hours would be shortened once again. “To better serve our customers, give our store teams time to conduct additional preventive sanitation and restock product on shelves, beginning 3/18, we will adjust store hours companywide temporarily,” the company wrote.
The chain’s website now shares that all stores will be open fro 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. “We have adjusted the hours of all Publix locations,” the site read. “Thank you for your understanding as we provide our store teams additional time to conduct preventive sanitation and to restock our shelves.” Pharmacy hours will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday to Friday, and normal hours on Sundays.
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Publix is one of many major shopping chains to cut hours as a a response to the coronavirus. Kroger, Walmart, Wegmans, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Target, Sam’s Club and more have all shortened their operating times for mulitiple reasons, including the health and safety of their workers and an effort to restock shelves and clean the stores without any customers inside. Grocery stores across the country are currently wiped out of staple items including toilet paper, paper towels, baby wipes, bread, eggs, meat and more, and many have had to place restrictions on the number of certain items that customers can purchase.
Publix CEO Todd Jones shared in a statement on the company’s website that the chain is taking multiple steps to attempt to maintain the health of its employees and customers amid the pandemic.
“Whenever our communities need us, Publix always strives to be a source of help,” he wrote. “Publix has remained in close contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal and state agencies since January to monitor developments and updated guidance on coronavirus (COVID-19). I’m writing to share with you the actions Publix is taking across our entire operation to safeguard the health and well-being of our customers, our associates, and our communities.”
Those measures include sanitation, which consists of routine measures that “already meet CDC guidelines” as well as a “heightened disinfection response program.” Product availability is another major point of concern and Jones wrote that “We are working tirelessly to have the items you need on our shelves. We have applied purchase limits on some key items to allow more customers to get what they need.”
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