A Coast Walmart store closing for COVID cleaning as Ida nears Gulf of Mexico
The Walmart supercenter on U.S. 90 in Pass Christian closes temporarily at 2 p.m. Thursday for cleaning and sanitizing and to give the staff time to restock the shelves — just as residents of South Mississippi need to stock up on hurricane supplies.
The store will reopen at 6 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 28.
The timing isn’t great. Hurricane Ida is forecast to make landfall on Sunday in Louisiana, although the track and timing could change. It’s possible the Coast may be in the forecast cone.
Five other Walmart locations in South Mississippi temporarily closed this month as COVID-19 cases spiked, starting with D’Iberville on Aug. 2 and followed by Walmart Neighborhood Market in Gulfport and the Walmart stores in Pascagoula, Wiggins and Lucedale.
The stores are deep cleaned and sanitized by a third party, the company said in a press release, as South Mississippi is one of several areas across the country with low vaccination rates seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases.
Walmart said it is taking action “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.”
When the store in the Pass reopens Saturday, all unvaccinated staff members must still wear face coverings, the company said.
This story was originally published August 26, 2021 at 1:48 PM.
