The World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus spread a global pandemic and the effects are starting to be felt around the state, region, country and globe.
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As residents across New England stay home to practice good social distancing, the need for groceries and supplies continues to rise.
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The groups most at risk for contracting COVID-19 are seniors and those with compromised immune systems.
In an effort to give the most at-risk populations time to get essential supplies in smaller crowds, grocery stores are making changes to their hours.
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A crowd - taking advantage of a special shopping hour for seniors - at @StopandShop
— Peter Wilson (@PetesWire) March 19, 2020
Watch for @newswithnatalie LIVE reports, with details on the other stores chipping in with similar plans.
Watch @boston25 Morning News. pic.twitter.com/QjdUnancED
Some stores are also altering their closing times to give workers enough time to restock shelves and sanitize items.
The grocery stores with changed hours are as follows:
Stop & Shop
| Senior Hours | 6:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. |
| Adjusted Hours | Closing at 8:00 p.m. |
More than ever, it’s important we come together as a community to serve those in need, including advocating for our seniors. Beginning 3/19, all Stop & Shop stores will open earlier from 6:00AM-7:30AM daily to serve customers who are age 60 and over only. https://t.co/qmZhPUnlpJ
— Stop & Shop (@StopandShop) March 16, 2020
Market Basket
| Senior Hours | 5:30 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. on Tues., Wed., & Thurs. |
| Adjusted Hours | 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Mon. - Sat.), 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Sun.) |
Beginning tomorrow March 19, 2020, Market Basket will initiate senior shopping hours specifically geared to accommodate the needs of our customers who are 60+.
— Market Basket (@MarketBasket) March 18, 2020
Each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5:30 AM - 7:00 AM the stores will be open ONLY to serve customers who are 60+ pic.twitter.com/2cfwSjlUg3
Roche Brothers
| Senior Hours | 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. |
| Adjusted Hours | 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. |
Effective Friday, March 20th, Roche Bros. and Brothers Marketplace will designate the first hour of business to the senior citizen and disabled population from 7:00 am - 8:00 am. https://t.co/MrnlWwElbP pic.twitter.com/2WVx9exxUI
— Roche Bros. (@Roche_Bros) March 18, 2020
Whole Foods
| Senior Hours | One hour before location opening |
| Adjusted Hours | Closing up to two hours early |
Important Update to Store Hours. For information on your store, please visit https://t.co/dxzcZkw1wy. pic.twitter.com/j469cHZ0Le
— Whole Foods Market (@WholeFoods) March 18, 2020
Shaws
| Senior Hours | 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Tues. & Thur. |
| Adjusted Hours | 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. |
A note to our valued customers and neighbors:
— Shaw's Supermarket (@shaws) March 18, 2020
In addition to this message regarding reserved hours for our senior citizen and at-risk community members, effective Wednesday 3/18, the hours of operation for all stores will be 7 AM - 8 PM Sunday through Saturday. pic.twitter.com/Dvvzbtxn3i
Target
Target will be closing at 9 p.m. to give employees time to restock and sanitize products.
We’re so proud of our Target teams working to keep stores open for guests during this challenging time. Read about our latest efforts, including new reduced store hours to add time for cleaning & restocking, & dedicated shopping time for vulnerable guests: https://t.co/8sAyrJ9e56
— Target (@Target) March 17, 2020
Dollar General
| Senior Hours | 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. |
| Adjusted Hours | Closing at 9 p.m. |
Beginning Tuesday, March 17, our first hour of operations will be dedicated to our senior shoppers. All stores will also close an hour earlier in order for employees to clean and restock shelves. Learn more about these change here: https://t.co/53rc2gMeVr
— Dollar General (@DollarGeneral) March 17, 2020
Trader Joe’s
Beginning Monday, March 16th and until further notice, all Trader Joe’s stores will be open from 9:00 am until 7:00 pm to support our Crew Members in taking care of one another and our customers.
Star Market
| Senior Hours | 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Tues. & Thurs. |
| Adjusted Hours | 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
A note to our valued customers and neighbors:
— Star Market (@Star_Mrkt) March 18, 2020
In addition to this message regarding reserved hours for our senior citizen and at-risk community members, effective Wednesday 3/18, the hours of operation for all stores will be 7 AM - 8 PM Sunday through Saturday. pic.twitter.com/cTcNR4Kb7G
Walmart
| Senior Hours | Hour-long event each Tues. starting 3/24 |
| Adjusted Hours | 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. |
To better serve our customers and support our associates, Walmart U.S. stores are making the following changes: https://t.co/SFfKBdos5z pic.twitter.com/StIx9p2adE
— Walmart (@Walmart) March 19, 2020
[Resources for people feeling anxiety over COVID-19 can be found here and here]
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