Green River’s sole grocery store has started limiting the number of customers inside the building as part of an escalated response to the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Smith’s Food and Drug started limiting the number of people inside its building Tuesday, according to a release issued by Smith’s parent company, Kroger. The limit results in only 50 percent of the international fire code’s building capacity in the store at one time. In Green River, that means 346 people will be allowed inside at one time.
“Smith’s introduction of customer capacity limits is one more way we are doing our part to flatten the curve while operating as an essential business, providing our customers with access to fresh, affordable food and products,” Kenny Kimball, President of Smith’s, said in a press release. “During this national pandemic, we are committed to adopting preventive measures to help protect the safety and health of our associates, customers and communities.”
Local employees were unavailable for comment due to a corporate mandate preventing them from speaking with the media.
The store will monitor customer counts using its QueVision system, which provides stores with a count of customers entering and exiting the building. This comes with other measures the chain has implemented locally, including the instillation of plastic guards in front of tellers and altered business hours.
According to the release, Kroger is also asking employees to monitor their health and take their temperature prior to coming to work.
Employees with any symptoms are being encouraged to contact their healthcare provider and stay at home, with employees eligible for up to 14 days paid leave if they’re self isolating or experiencing symptoms identified by a healthcare provider. The temperature checks were initially rolled out to corporate distribution centers and have expanded to grocery stores.
As coronavirus infections have grown to more than 200 statewide, with six confirmed infections in Sweetwater County as of press time, the state recommending people wear face masks in public to help curb the spread of the disease.
““If and when you do need to go out in to the community, this is an extra voluntary measure CDC is suggesting to help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others,” Dr. Alexia Harrist, the state’s health officer, said.
“The virus can spread between people who are close to each other without them realizing it is happening,” Harrist said. “That’s the reason for this change and new recommendation.”
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