Walmart temporarily closing prominent Pierce County store amid high number of COVID cases
As the latest COVID-19 surge continues to overwhelm Pierce County and its hospitals, a major retailer announced plans Saturday to temporarily close one store over the weekend for cleaning, with more than 50 active cases tied to the site.
Walmart officials told The News Tribune Saturday that its Lakewood store at 7001 Bridgeport Way would temporarily close starting at 2 p.m. Saturday for a third-party cleaning service to come in and sanitize the site.
The store will remain closed through Sunday (Jan. 9), with plans to reopen at 6 a.m. Jan. 10.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department listed the store as of Jan. 6 with 52 active COVID cases tied to the site.
In a statement issued Saturday, the retailer said:
“We want to assist health officials working against the pandemic. In support of this effort, we have chosen to temporarily close our Lakewood store location at 7001 Bridgeport Way W. today at 2 p.m. as part of an ongoing company-initiated program. This will allow extra time for a third-party specialist to further sanitize the store and will also give our associates additional time to restock shelves and prepare the store to once again serve the community.”
“When the store reopens on Monday, we will continue conducting associate health assessments, and all unvaccinated associates must still wear face coverings,” it added.
One worker who contacted The News Tribune via email on Saturday contended that “Many of us do not have enough paid sick leave to stay home, and risk losing our jobs if we do not report to work amid the outbreak, even if we are afraid of infection.”
Walmart’s corporate site describes its leave policy as follows: “Our COVID-leave policy, which was implemented in March 2020 to support associates during the pandemic, remains in place and has been extended through March 31, 2022. The policy provides up to two weeks of paid time off if an associate contracts COVID-19, if a facility is part of a mandated quarantine or if an associate is required to quarantine by a health care provider, government agency or Walmart. This is in addition to our standard PTO options.”
As new COVID cases have soared in the state and Pierce County specifically, so too have business outbreaks.
In TPCHD’s outbreak report issued Jan. 6, 139 businesses reported outbreaks totaling 1,172 cases, a 43 percent increase from the previous week.
The business with the most outbreaks listed so far on TPCHD’s website is the Fred Meyer Distribution Center in Puyallup with 86 active cases. The site has faced multiple outbreaks during the pandemic.
NW Retirement Center, a long term care facility in Tacoma, reported the second highest amount with 77 active cases.
In addition to the Lakewood site, Walmart’s store on 31st Avenue in Puyallup is currently listed with 37 active cases, and its Union Avenue store in Tacoma with 11.
It’s not the first time Walmart stores have been on the list, with other Pierce County locations registering outbreaks and listed for weeks on the TPCHD list during the fall Delta wave.
The retailer says it has taken the closure approach nationwide for affected stores in areas of high transmission.
Walmart noted that workers can receive their vaccinations at “their home store pharmacy, on or off the clock.”
The retailer allows for two hours of paid leave for its workers to get vaccinated, and up to three days paid leave if needed for any vaccine reaction.
“We are currently offering $150 bonuses for associates who choose to become fully vaccinated and have not previously received the vaccination incentive,” it said.
This story was originally published January 8, 2022 at 11:05 AM.
