Gov. Mark Gordon is urging the state’s residents to give their business to companies taking steps to keep their customers and employees safe in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
Gordon, during a news conference Wednesday, singled out some stores that remain open as “heroes and zeros.”
“I think we are adapting,” he said. “I think there are heroes and zeros. I continue to encourage people to shop at the places where they see the heroes, the ones that take care of their workers.
“The zeros, they can avoid, which will solve the problem both ways,” he continued. “One, people won’t frequent the stores that don’t take those precautions. Two, it will reduce the crowds at those stores.”
Since issuing public health orders that closed schools and some businesses and prohibited gatherings of more than 10 people, Gordon has encouraged managers of stores remaining open to take steps to limit the number of people in their businesses and encourage social distancing.
He said one of the stores he had identified as failing to address his concerns, Walmart, has taken steps to resolve the issues.
“I am happy to say that Walmart has responded, indicating that they are doing the very best they can to make sure that both their workers and their clientele are better protected,” he said.
Gordon also singled out Albertson’s and King Soopers grocery stores for their programs to deliver groceries to cars and PetSmart for its work to limit the number of people in its stores.
However, he added he has been told that Menards has not taken sufficient preventive steps.
“Reportedly, Menards has not done a particularly good job here,” he said. “There have been crowds assembled at check-out lines and other things.”
Menards recently announced it would not allow pets or children under the age of 16 in any of its stores to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
