If you plan on doing some shopping at Walmart in North Platte, you may have to wait a couple of days.
The Post has confirmed that the North Platte Walmart location will be closing at 2:00 p.m. today and is expected to be closed for two days for cleaning after what was referred to by management as a "COVID-19 outbreak" within the community. Walmart officials say they are expecting to reopen at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 5.
The store will be deep cleaned and will proceed with current business operations and precautions upon reopening.
Walmart provided the Post with the following statement from the corporate level:
“As an essential business and a member of the North Platte community, we understand the role we play in providing our customers with food, medicine and other essential items, especially at this time. We also understand this community has been hit especially hard by COVID-19.
Health officials are working to curb the impact of this pandemic, and we want to be a part of the solution. In support of this effort, we have chosen to temporarily close our North Platte Supercenter location at 1401 S. Dewey St. today at 2 p.m. as part of a company-initiated program. This will allow extra time for a third-party specialist to further sanitize the store and will also give our associates additional time to restock shelves and prepare the store to once again serve the community. We plan to reopen the store to customers at 7 a.m. on Thursday, November 5.
Everything we’re doing is for the well-being of our associates and customers, and in consideration of guidance by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and health experts. When the store reopens Sunday, we will continue to conduct associate health screens and temperature checks, and all associates will be provided with facemasks and gloves.
These protocols are in addition to the extensive measures we’ve put in place during the pandemic to help protect our associates and customers, including installing sneeze guards at registers, placing social distancing signage throughout the store and enacting an emergency leave policy for associates who are unable or uncomfortable coming to work. Additionally, through the help of our health ambassadors, we will continue requiring customers to wear protective facial coverings while inside the building.
We will continue working closely with elected and local health officials, adjusting how we serve the community while also keeping the health and safety of our customers and associates in mind.”