Costco drops special COVID-19 shopping hours
A person wearing a protective mask exits a Costco store in Richmond, California, U.S., on Wednesday, March 3, 2021. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
NEW YORK - Costco is ending its special operating hours for customers who are over 60, healthcare workers, and first responders beginning Monday.
The warehouse giant had begun setting aside one hour a day solely for those customers so they could avoid larger crowds earl in the pandemic.
"Members who do not wish to shop during regular hours are welcome to visit Costco.com for all their shopping needs," the company said in an update on its website.
Costco had initially said it would end the special operating hours last summer before changing its mind when COVID-19 cases rose again.
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The news comes as the so-called "stealth" omicron variant of the coronavirus, BA.2 has been spreading around the globe, driving new surges in parts of Asia and Europe. It's now the dominant coronavirus version in the U.S. and more than five dozen other countries.
New York City's positivity rate has reached nearly 4.5%, according to the latest information from the Department of Health, and officials are once again recommending that New Yorkers wear masks indoors.
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