FORT SMITH, Ark. — Walmart announced it will be temporarily closing one of its Fort Smith locations in order to clean and sanitize the store.
The Walmart location at 8301 Rogers Avenue will close at 2 p.m. Tuesday (Aug. 10) and will remain closed through Wednesday (Aug. 11).
Walmart officials say this will allow third-party cleaning crews enough time to thoroughly clean and sanitize the building, and allow associates time to restock shelves.
The store will reopen on Thursday (Aug. 12) at 6 a.m.
Walmart released a statement regarding this, that says in part:
"As an essential business and a member of the Fort Smith community, we understand the role we play in providing our customers with food, medicine, and other essential items, especially at this time.
As you know, several areas across the country have begun seeing a renewed increase in positive COVID-19 cases, mainly in regions with low vaccination rates, and we want to assist health officials working against the pandemic. As part of this effort, we have chosen to temporarily close our Fort Smith store location at 8301 Rogers Ave today at 2 p.m. as part of a company-initiated program. This will allow extra time for a third-party specialist to further sanitize the store and will also give our associates additional time to restock shelves and prepare the store to once again serve the community. We plan to reopen the store to customers at 6 a.m. on August 12th.
Everything we’re doing is for the well-being of our associates and the thousands of customers we serve daily, and in consideration of guidance by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and health experts. Given the rise in positive cases through the Delta variant, we will follow CDC guidance, which includes fully vaccinated people wearing masks in public indoor settings in counties with substantial or high transmission."