Macy's is planning to reopen dozens of stores on Monday in states that have loosened coronavirus restrictions.
The company's Chief Executive Jeff Gennette told The Wall Street Journal that he expects all of the company's roughly 775 stores to reopen in the next six weeks, assuming COVID-19 infection rates taper off and local governments allow businesses to reopen.
Macy's confirmed that it plans to have 68 stores reopen Monday in states including South Carolina and Georgia. A second wave of about 50 stores will then be scheduled to reopen on May 11, according to CNBC.
Macy's plans to enforce social distancing within its reopened stores. Additionally, all employees will be given company-issued cloth masks to wear at all times and those processing multiple goods or interacting with customers at high traffic registers will be provided gloves, according to an update posted on Macy's website. Workers will also be asked to take their temperatures before coming in.
All of Macy's stores have been closed since March 18, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The company announced in late March that it would be furloughing the majority of its 130,000 workers.
Roughly 30.3 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the six weeks since the coronavirus outbreak began forcing millions of employers to close their doors and slash their workforces. That is more people than live in the New York and Chicago metropolitan areas combined, and it’s by far the worst string of layoffs on record. It adds up to more than one in six American workers.