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Walmart Will Provide Masks And Gloves To Employees As Well As Take Their Temperatures

Photo credit: Joe Raedle - Getty Images
Photo credit: Joe Raedle - Getty Images

From Delish

The news around the COVID-19 outbreak is constantly changing, but information about food safety and how to keep yourself healthy is crucial right now. Here is a comprehensive list on the foods you should be stocking up on during this period of social distancing, as well as information about your local grocery stores’ changing hours, an explanation of “no-contact delivery,” and a guide on how to help your community and its businesses throughout closures.



Walmart will be providing masks and gloves to employees during the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as taking their temperatures before their shifts.

The chain first mentioned this in a call to reporters, according to Business Insider, and said that it would be sending home any employees who have a temperature above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. They will be asked "some basic health screening questions" before their shifts, according to a Walmart Blog Post.

If they have a temperature, employees will be paid for reporting to work and will be asked not to return to work until they are fever-free for at least three days. They will also be asked to asked to seek medical attention where appropriate.

Walmart will give employees up to two weeks of paid sick leave if they contract coronavirus or are forced to quarantine, according to CNBC. If an employee who tests positive is not able to return to work after those two weeks, they can be paid for up to 26 weeks.

Employees in the company's stores, distribution centers, and fulfillment centers will be subject to this policy, and it could take up to three weeks for thermometers to arrive at these locations. Employees are also being asked to take their temperatures at home in the meantime.

Walmart also confirmed in the blog post that it would be making gloves and masks available to any employees who want them. The company described these as high-quality masks but "not N95 respirators–which should be reserved for at-risk healthcare workers."

They also pointed out in the blog post that "the CDC and other health officials do not recommend masks or gloves for healthy people who don't ordinarily use them for their jobs" but that some employees would feel more comfortable with the equipment, since their job is public-facing. The masks and gloves are expected to arrive within one-to-two weeks.

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