For the third time in the past week, a New Orleans-area Walmart is closing to allow for sanitization procedures amid the current COVID surge in Louisiana.
This time, it’s the Gretna location on the Westbank Expressway that is shut down with plans to reopen at 6am Friday morning. The Covington and Harahan locations underwent the same procedures over the weekend.
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Walmart released a statement that read, in part, “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.”
The statement provided by the company also said that employees who get vaccinated are gifted a $150 bonus for receiving the shot and three days of paid leave if they experience an “adverse reaction.” Walmart workers are allowed to get vaccinated at the store’s in-house pharmacies on or off the clock.
"These protocols and convenient access to vaccinations are in addition to the extensive measures we’ve put in place during the pandemic to help protect our associates and customers. We will continue working closely with elected and local health officials, adjusting how we serve the community while also keeping the health and safety of our customers and associates in mind,” the statement read.
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