Tag: Coronavirus

Coronavirus evacuee returned to isolation after visiting North Star Mall

by  on  in Mall

SAN ANTONIO – Editor’s note: This story is a look back at some of the biggest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. See a full timeline here.

On March 2, 2020, North Star Mall closed its doors for 24 hours for a deep cleaning after a potential exposure to COVID-19 from a coronavirus evacuee who had visited a few stores before she was notified of a positive test result and returned to isolation.

The visit set off a panic around the city. It was the first time San Antonio residents were made aware of a potential exposure to

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Coronavirus pandemic has pushed shoppers to e-commerce sites

by  on  in Shopping News

Pedestrians cross a street decorated with Christmas lights in Orchard road shopping district in Singapore on December 8, 2020.

Roslan Rahman | AFP via Getty Images

SINGAPORE — The last three months of the year are typically synonymous with malls and stores teeming with customers who stand in long, snaking queues to pay for their holiday shopping hauls.

But due to the coronavirus pandemic this year, which forced countries around the world to either go into lockdowns or enforce strict social distancing rules, a lot of the holiday shopping is being done online, according to multiple research reports.

One recent

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Grocery shopping is forever changed by the coronavirus

by  on  in Shopping News

While shopping for books and electronics online and ordering dinner through delivery apps have become staples of American life, most customers still prefer to purchase their meat and vegetables at the store. Last year, just 4% of grocery sales in the United States came online, according to Nielsen.

However, with shoppers stuck in their homes in the wake of the virus, online grocery shopping is exploding. Downloads of Instacart, Walmart’s grocery app and Shipt increased 218%, 160%, and 124% respectively last Sunday compared with a year prior.

“We are seeing a larger percentage of customers over the age of 60 … Read More

Glendale firefighters deliver groceries to residents confined by the coronavirus

by  on  in Shopping News

With a list in hand Spencer Hammond was winding his way through Glendale’s Pacific Food Mart on Wednesday, quickly filling up a basket with grocery items such as eggs, milk and toilet paper.

But the firefighter-paramedic wasn’t buying the items for himself or his co-workers at the Glendale Fire Department — he was shopping for a resident.

Hammond was one of 40 firefighters at the department who have stepped up to help buy and deliver groceries as well as other essential items to city residents who are now housebound because of the coronavirus outbreak.

“I think it’s just in

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Alaska’s mall Santas face new precautions in coronavirus era, but kids don’t seem to mind

by  on  in Mall
A man dressed like santa sits behind a plexiglass barrier
Kids interact with Santa from behind a plexiglass barrier at Bass Pro Shop in Anchorage on Dec. 16, 2020. (Lex Treinen/Alaska Public Media)

Visits with mall Santas are a hallmark of the holidays for many families, but the coronavirus pandemic has forced mall managers to make changes to the tradition. And while the new precautions may feel strange to parents, most kids seem unfazed by the masks and plexiglass. 

At Bass Pro Shops in Mountain View, Sonya Callahan said her shy two-year-old appreciated the glass barrier. 

“She doesn’t like people,” Callahan said. “So I think the glass barrier actually preserved

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