Kohl’s Closes All US Stores Until April 1 Amid Pandemic

A sign marks a Kohl's store in Medford, Mass., on Feb. 21, 2017. Brian Snyder/Reuters

Kohl’s, in reaction to the CCP virus outbreak, said it will close all its U.S. stores until April 1.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Party’s coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

In a Thursday night announcement, the firm said all stores will close at 7 p.m. on that day. But the chain said it is offering products via its website and app, which will ship items directly to customers’ homes.

“To demonstrate our support of the efforts underway to contain the spread of the coronavirus, we are closing all Kohl’s stores through at least April 1. We will support store associates with two calendar weeks of pay,” said Michelle Gass, Kohl’s chief executive officer. “We will continue to serve customers on Kohls.com and our Kohl’s app, and we look forward to reopening our stores soon to serve families across the country.”

Kohl’s has joined a growing number of stores closing due to the pandemic and as states have issued orders to shelter at home. Grocery stores and convenience stores, however, have remained open as demand has surged for key household items and food.

Macy’s announced on Tuesday that it would close all locations until March 31, including Bloomingdales and other subsidiaries.

Many fast-food chains such as McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Starbucks are closing their dining rooms and are opting to use drive-throughs and deliveries.

Some states, including New York and California, have ordered all non-essential businesses to suspend in the meantime in recent days. An executive order that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is planning to sign will go into effect on Sunday.

“When I talk about the most drastic action we can take: this is the most drastic action we can take,” Cuomo said at a press conference in Albany, the state capital. It came after officials earlier in the week said that no more than 50 percent of the workforce could work and later that no more than 25 percent can work.

Amazon also announced Friday that it is shutting down its Prime Pantry food delivery service for an unspecified period of time as people hunker down and stock up on groceries and supplies.

“Pantry is temporarily closed. We’re busy restocking,” stated a notice on its website. “Due to high order volumes, Pantry is not accepting new orders at this time. This means that items listed as ‘Ships & Sold from Pantry’ cannot be added to your cart. We apologize for this inconvenience, and are working with our partners to get these items back in stock as quickly as possible.”