Target takes steps to clean surfaces amid coronavirus concerns

Target will be adding hours to each store’s payroll to allow more time for cleaning as the coronavirus continues to spread across the U.S., according to a Tuesday statement from CEO Brian Cornell.

Stores will now be cleaning surfaces such as check lanes and touchscreens at least every 30 minutes. The statement said the company is following guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends regular cleaning as a preventative measure.

The store is taking additional steps to keep staff healthy and have items in-stock for customers, according to the statement.

“As demand for cleaning products, medicine, pantry stock-up items and more remains high, we’re sending more products to our stores as quickly as possible,” Cornell said in the statements. “And this weekend, we started to limit the number of key items per purchase, which will allow more guests to get what they need.”

The company has also temporarily stopped food sampling, is encouraging team members to stay home when sick, is asking teams to travel only if it’s critical to business and is staffing up to support in-demand services like order pickup and drive up orders.

“We’ve always taken great pride in our clean and well-run stores, and we know this is more important than ever right now,” Cornell said in the statement.

Contact Bailey Schulz at bschulz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0233. Follow @bailey_schulz on Twitter.