Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores will close an hour earlier at 9 p.m. beginning March 16 until further notice.
Southeastern Grocers President and CEO Anthony Hucker announced the move March 15 in an email to customers and on the store websites.
"This change will give our associates the time they need to appropriately restock our stores, and ensure our stores are able to conduct additional sanitation procedures in service of providing a shopping experience our customers can always count on," the letter said.
The stores also will no longer operate self-serve deli bars and will have prepackaged deli items available.
"We pride ourselves on adhering to the highest standards of cleanliness in our stores, and we’ve added extra focus in our most high-touch areas of the store, such as check-out, PIN pads, cart corrals, etc. We’re taking all necessary precautions with our associates and adopting recommended best practices from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)," the letter said.
They join other stores nationwide in reducing hours because of the new coronavirus, including Publix Super Markets and Walmart.
In Jacksonville, Winn-Dixie and Harveys open at 7 a.m.
Jacksonville-based Southeastern Grocers operates stores under the banners of Winn-Dixie, Harveys, Bi-Lo and Fresco y Más.