“ something that you can put in a store, but you need the monitoring,” said Jones. Neither were signs encouraging shoppers to remain 6 feet apart and walk in one direction down aisles. Jones’s department found that metered entry was not enough at the Quincy store. “Think about a Walmart during a Black Friday morning, and that tells you that their legal capacity is very, very big,” she said. That works out to roughly 20 percent of normal capacity - an even stricter standard than state guidelines asking grocery stores not to exceed 40 percent capacity.īut retail analyst Paula Rosenblum noted 20 percent capacity could still mean large numbers of shoppers. Since early April, Walmart stores have had a policy in place limiting customer entry to five people per 1,000 square feet. “We cooperated with city officials prior to deciding to temporarily close the store and were not cited for any issues," Keene said. In response to Eklund’s allegations, Keene wrote, “Our store had measures in place to help protect our associates and customers.” He cited metered entry, sneeze guards protecting cashiers, temperature checks before shifts, and other precautions. “Even though Walmart knew my mom was in the ICU, they didn’t change anything.” “My mom was hospitalized two weeks ago, and the Quincy Walmart knew about it,” Eklund said. Jones’ team observed the shortcomings days after Lee had already fallen critically ill. “They did see deficiencies as far as social distancing,” Jones said. Walmart’s corporate offices also sent a district representative to observe how the store was enforcing safety policies. In response, Jones had an inspector from her office set up watch in the Walmart every day from April 27 to May 1. “We were getting complaints about too many people in the store, people not social distancing,” said Ruth Jones, Quincy health department commissioner.
Walmart communications representative Phillip Keene wrote in an e-mail on Tuesday, “We want to again share that our hearts go out to the friends and loved ones of the associate we lost at our Quincy store.”īut even before Lee’s death, the Quincy Walmart was on health officials’ radar. “And then she died.”Įklund said that her mother was fit and active, but nevertheless struck down rapidly by the disease. “She was really happy about having another grandchild,” her daughter said. Lee enjoyed spending time with her two grandchildren - a 3-year-old and a newborn - who called her Po Po. “She was an amazing woman, so thoughtful.” “This is a tremendous loss for our family.”Įklund described her mother as a vibrant, loving person who supported her family.
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