Walmart changes hours to restock, clean stores amid coronavirus pandemic

Walmart is making temporary changes to store hours to give employees time to restock shelves and perform deep cleaning. Beginning Sunday, March, 15, Walmart stores and Neighborhood Markets will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. until further notice.

"This will help ensure associates are able to stock the products our customers are looking for and to perform cleaning and sanitizing," Walmart executive vice president and chief operating officer Dacona Smith said in a news release. "As we make this change, associates will continue to work the hours and shifts they are scheduled, and our supply chain and trucking fleet will continue to move products and deliver to stores on their regular schedules. As a reminder, we have a temporary COVID-19 emergency leave policy to support associates at this unprecedented time."

Stores currently operating under reduced hours will keep their current hours of operation.

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Shoppers across the country were panic buying this week, leaving grocery stores full of crowded aisles and bare shelves. The stockpiling is expected to last for weeks, disrupting suppky chains and forcing major retailers to place limits on items.

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As of Saturday morning, more than 2,100 patients have contracted the virus in the U.S. and at least 50 have died.