Sneeze guards? Walmart, Albertsons and Kroger using them to fight coronavirus spread

As coronavirus spreads across the United States, grocery stores are doing what they can to help prevent transmission of the virus.

Walmart announced Tuesday that it will be installing sneeze guards — plexiglass barriers — at the store’s registers and in pharmacy lanes at Walmart and Sam’s Club, according to a news release.

Coronavirus is believed to be transmitted person-to-person through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The company has already begun installing the barriers in pharmacy lanes and installation at registers is expected in the next two to three weeks, Walmart said in the March 24 release.

“Staying safe and healthy is more important than ever for our associates, our customers and for us,” the release said. “Installing these barriers is another way Walmart is helping bring peace of mind that we are doing everything we can to keep our people and our stores safe.”

Walmart joins Albertsons and Kroger which are also installing sneeze guards in all their stores, CNN reported.

Publix, a grocery story chain in the southeast, is implementing the use of partitions, as well, the Miami Herald reported.​

Retailers are also using floor decals to help customers maintain proper social-distance when in store:

• Walmart is placing them in entrances and check-out lanes, according to the release.
  
  
• Albertsons is placing floor markers at check-out stations and other high-traffic areas such as delis, bakeries and pharmacy areas, the company announced Monday.
  
  
• Target is putting signs at the door as well as floor decals in check-out lanes, CEO Brian Cornell wrote in a blog post.
  
  
• Walgreens is implementing a “social distancing line” which has floor markers placed six feet apart, the company said in a news release. Customers can only approach the register once they’ve been called forward.

This story was originally published March 25, 2020 at 11:34 AM with the headline "Sneeze guards? Walmart, Albertsons and Kroger using them to fight coronavirus spread."