Get closer at Publix? These partitions are coming down as Florida COVID cases drop
.jpeg "Those plastic barriers Publix customers have been seeing at its cashier registers, customer service areas and pharmacies for the two years of COVID, like these at a Pinecrest Publix in May 2021? Goners. The Lakeland-based chain announced it was removing them in March 2022 as COVID numbers have declined.")
After two years, clear plastic partitions at customer service areas inside Publix’s nearly 1,300 stores have become such regular fixtures you may not have even noticed them anymore.
Now, you really won’t notice the Plexiglas shields.
Publix pulled the plastic shields off its counters this week, according to a statement the Lakeland-based grocery chain released through spokeswoman Maria Brous.
“As a result of the decrease in COVID-19 cases and wide availability of vaccines, Publix is removing the clear plastic shields from registers, customer service desks and pharmacies.”
Over the past three weeks, on average, 153 fewer new COVID cases were logged each day in Florida, showing a decrease in trends, according to Miami Herald calculations of data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Tuesday, March 15, more than 14,220,000 people were considered fully vaccinated in Florida, the Herald reported.
Publix, which has 832 stores in Florida and additional supermarkets in North and South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Virginia and Tennessee, first put up the protective partitions in March 2020 near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Masks are no longer required, regardless of vaccination status, for Publix employees or customers, but they are not forbidden for those who still prefer to wear them.
The one-way aisles designed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus that many of us managed to navigate about as poorly as drivers on I-95 and the Palmetto? Publix got rid of those early on in the pandemic in August 2020.
As of Friday, however, the Publix Coronavirus FAQ page has not been updated to announce the removal of the plastic partitions.
Winn-Dixie plans
Winn-Dixie, another major Florida-based grocer, is continuing to monitor the ongoing pandemic with customers and associates in mind, said Meredith Hurley, director of public relations and community for Southeastern Grocers, the chain’s parent company in Jacksonville.
“While partitions currently remain in our stores, our Fresco y Más and Winn-Dixie associates are no longer required to wear masks while working, with the exception of pharmacy associates who are required to wear masks when performing clinical services such as administering immunizations, point-of-care tests and health screenings,” Hurley said in a statement.
Milam’s Markets
Family-owned Milam’s Markets, which opened its first store on the corner of Red and Bird roads in Coral Gables in 1984, still has its clear plastic partitions up at customer service counters. Milam’s associates are no longer required to wear face masks unless required by job duties or ordinances, the company’s website says.
Milam’s has stores in Pinecrest, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Sunny Isles Beach and Miami Springs.
This story was originally published March 18, 2022 at 10:27 AM.
