Walmart increasing store hours after pandemic cuts

Walmart is extending its store hours by opening at 6 a.m. after it cut hours short last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The extended hours from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. will begin Saturday. The company’s pharmacies and vision centers will go back to pre-pandemic hours at the beginning of July, according to a Walmart press release.

“With the number of fully vaccinated Americans growing higher every day, we believe we can adjust hours once again,” Dacona Smith, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Walmart U.S., said Tuesday.

Walmart was open 24 hours a day before the pandemic, but cut its hours to help curb the spread of the virus. The company has slowly been expanding its hours throughout the pandemic.

The move comes shortly after Walmart decided to drop its mask mandate for fully vaccinated individuals, but says it will keep other virus precautions.

Smith said Walmart will “continue our stepped-up cleaning and sanitizing measures.”

Walmart will also keep dividers in place at the registers, the social distancing markers on the ground, a bonus for employees who get the vaccine and its coronavirus emergency leave policy.

Senior hours on Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. will still be in place so the elderly or those most vulnerable to the coronavirus won’t have to shop during the busiest times.

“As a company, we will continue to maintain our focus and will remain ready to react and adjust as needed in order to ensure we are doing our very best to help keep our customers, associates and communities safe,” Smith said.