BRANDON, Fla. — Walmart announced it will close one of its Hillsborough County store locations for deep cleaning amid an increase of the more infectious omicron coronavirus variant.
The store at 11110 Causeway Blvd. is scheduled to close at 2 p.m. Monday, the company said in a statement. It will remain closed Tuesday for a slated reopening at 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Its closure will allow for third-party cleaning crews to sanitize the building and give workers time to restock the shelves, Walmart said.
"Everything we’re doing is for the well-being of our associates and the thousands of customers we serve daily, and in consideration of guidance by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and health experts," the company said in its statement, mentioning the recommendation that fully vaccinated people wear masks in areas of high areas of COVID transmission.
Unvaccinated employees still will be required to wear a mask when the store reopens to the public.
Walmart's announcement is the latest in a string of other closures across the Tampa Bay area as COVID cases have been on the rise. According to the CDC, Hillsborough County has reported 22,110 new cases of COVID-19 in the past seven days.
