Older Adults and At-Risk Shoppers

Coronavirus Update: New Hours for At-Risk Shoppers

Dear Members,

The last month has been a whirlwind. There’s a lot of uncertainty, anxiety, and concern regarding the spread of the novel coronavirus, now known as COVID-19. In the spirit of living well and looking after each other, I wanted to share some of the actions we’re taking.

First and foremost, I have pledged to our employees that we’re going to go above and beyond and do everything we can to take care of them and their families. The health and safety of our employees, and by extension our members and communities, is our top priority.

With that as our directive, we’ve got teams across the Co-op meeting regularly to outline scenarios and strategies for what we’re dealing with now and what may be ahead of us. Look for regular updates from me Monday through Friday, and as needed on the weekends. 

Second, we’re making two important changes immediately in response to recent recommendations from state and federal health officials and employees:

1. Beginning March 18, we will be reserving our 7-8 a.m. hours for elderly shoppers, pregnant women, and at-risk populations as defined by the CDC. These populations include those who have serious or chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease.

Please help us with this. We’re asking all shoppers to be mindful of our at-risk shoppers. If you’re not at risk, please wait until after 8 a.m. before coming to the Co-op to shop. We’re appealing to our customers to help us with this so that our stores are as safe as possible for our most vulnerable shoppers.

2. Based on current recommendations on limiting social gatherings of 10 or more, we are also closing our cafes and limiting self-service items until further notice.

My thanks to all of you. These times are challenging and we have the best teams in the Upper Value to rise to the challenges. We’ll all get through this together. Calm and focus wins the day!

Onward and upward,

-Paul

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Paul Guidone

Paul Guidone, CFA, spent the better part of four decades in the investment management business here and abroad. He held positions ranging from analyst through Deputy Chairman and Group CEO, at organizations such as Citigroup (US) and The HSBC Group (London and Hong Kong). He joined the Co-op in 2016 as the CFO and in 2018 became Strategic Advisor to the General Manager. Paul was appointed by the Co-op Board as interim General Manager in March 2020 and General Manager in September 2020. To contact, email PGuidone@coopfoodstore.com.

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