Businesses cut customer perks, loosen sick time rules to cope with coronavirus

Some businesses are taking extra precautions amid concerns about coronavirus.

There’s the obvious — encouraging employees to stay home if they’re sick and increasing the cleaning of surfaces. But some are going steps beyond in an effort to curb the spread of the virus, which has been classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization.

Cracker Barrel

The Tennessee-based home-style restaurant chain removed checkers and peg games from tables and the front porch. Each restaurant has about 200 seats. Restaurant-goers still can buy peg board games inside each location’s Old Country Store — about 300,000 of them are sold each year, according to the Cracker Barrel website.

The restaurant has a smartphone app for the games.

The chain also created a toll-free hotline for employees to increase efficiency in reporting and response efforts.

There are four Cracker Barrels in the region — New Stanton, Cranberry, North Fayette and South Strabane.

Trader Joe’s

Employees at the grocery store chain are being given additional paid sick time. In-store food and beverage sampling has been suspended. There are three Trader Joe’s in the Pittsburgh area — in the North Hills, East Liberty and Mt. Lebanon.

Costco

The wholesale giant also stopped providing free samples at its stores. Those in the area include Homestead, Robinson Township and Cranberry.

Shipt

The grocery shopping and delivery service will provide shoppers who are quarantined or diagnosed with coronavirus financial assistance for two weeks. That policy will last for the next 60 days.

Shoppers get paid to fill orders made through smartphone app by members.

Coronavirus

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, the Associated Press reported. For others, including older adults and people who have existing health issues, the illness can be more severe and cause other problems, including pneumonia.

In the United States, at least 38 people have died from covid-19, the disease caused by the new virus.

Most people recover from coronavirus. The AP reported that the recovery time can take about two weeks for those with a mild form of the illness. Anyone with a severe illness can take three to six weeks to recover. The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared a pandemic and President Donald Trump is restricting travel from Europe into the United States for 30 days starting late Friday.

Worldwide, there have been nearly 5,000 deaths and up to 135,000 infections. As China’s rate has receded, Italy is spiking. The death toll is over 1,000, rising from 820 yesterday.