PLANT CITY, Fla — As part of a company-initiative program to allow cleaning crews time to thoroughly clean and sanitize the building, Walmart is closing its Plant City location Saturday, Aug. 14.
The Walmart located at 2602 James L. Redman Parkway will reopen at 6 a.m., Monday, Aug. 16.
The closure will allow extra time for a third-party specialist to further sanitize the store and will also give store associates additional time to restock shelves and prepare the store to once again serve the community. The cleaning process is in response to the ongoing pandemic and increased positivity rate of COVID-19 cases, according to a spokesperson from the company.
"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. Given the rise in positive cases through the Delta variant, we will follow CDC guidance, which includes fully vaccinated people wearing masks in public indoor settings in counties with substantial or high transmission."
Walmart will continue conducting health assessments and all unvaccinated employees will still wear face coverings when the store reopens Monday, according to a release from the company.
In addition to offering COVID-19 vaccines to customers, Walmart is also offering easy access to vaccines for its associates as well.
Associates who receive the vaccine are given a $150 bonus for doing so and up to three days paid leave, should they experience and adverse reaction to the vaccine, the company says.
The number of total hospitalizations with confirmed cases of COVID-19 climbed to 15,441 patients as of Aug. 13, according to the Florida Hospital Association. It was the 13th straight day Florida has set a new pandemic high for COVID-related hospitalizations.
