Military commissaries worldwide will soon have plexiglass "sneeze shields" installed in checkout lanes as a barrier between commissary employees and shoppers, officials announced today.
The 24-30 inch-wide, 36 inch-high barriers, which will be installed in all commissary stores over the next several days, are designed to "add extra protection for customers and cashiers during the COVID-19 outbreak," the release said.
The plexiglass barriers are the latest in ongoing efforts to keep commissaries open while reducing virus spread. March 18, stores stopped offering Early Bird shopping hours to give workers more time to stock shelves and clean. Officials also started 100% ID checks at commissary doors, restricting all non-authorized shoppers from entering.
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Stores have also stepped up their cleaning routine, officials said in today's release.
"At our commissaries we are wiping down checkout areas, restrooms and shopping carts with disinfectant, and practicing routine hand washing and other basic sanitation measures to avoid spreading germs," Robert Bianchi, a retired Rear Admiral and the Pentagon's special assistant for commissary operations said in the release.
The plexiglass barriers will be installed at all regular checkout lanes, the release said. They will not be installed at self-checkout.
As of March 27, officials said there are now 652 total cases of COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus, within the DoD: 309 military, 108 dependents, 134 civilians and 62 Defense Department contractors. Of those, 34 military members, two dependents and one civilian have recovered.
The first military dependent died from the virus March 26 at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.
-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com.
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