Southeastern Grocers will implement increased safety precautions at its grocery store chains, and close on Easter to allow employees to rest.
Some stores in the company will begin limiting the number of shoppers in the store at a time, the news release said.
"While no Northeast Florida stores are currently affected, we are expanding these safety precautions throughout our Southeast footprint of stores to provide the safest possible shopping environment for our customers," said Southeastern Grocers spokeswoman Kaley Shaffer. "We will continue to keep our communities informed in a timely manner as we operate with precision to remain safer and stronger together."
The company will check the temperatures of Winn-Dixie, Harveys Supermarket, Bi-Lo and Fresco y Más store associates before beginning a shift and they will be allowed to wear gloves and masks while working.
The company will provide protective gear where it can.
Southeastern Grocers also intends to hire 5,000 temporary workers to help those who may have lost work or are temporarily unemployed.
“I am extremely proud of our associates who are going above and beyond to serve our customers,” Southeastern Grocers President and CEO Anthony Hucker said in a news release.
“The decision to close on Easter Sunday was made to allow our heroic associates a day to rest and find comfort with their families. We are grateful for the kindness many of our customers have shown our associates,” he said.
These initiatives are in addition to what the company has put in place. It installed Plexiglas partitions at registers, customer service desks, pharmacies and liquor store counters.
It also introduced extended shopping hours from 8-9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday for first responders and health care workers and it reserved the first hour of business from 7-8 a.m. for high-risk customers.
The stores will continue to close at 8 p.m., with the exception of extended hours Monday and Tuesday, to allow for extra time to restock and sanitize.