Pictured above: The CVS at 1332 Main Street in Hellertown, Pa. CVS announced this week that beginning Feb. 28, most of its pharmacies will be closed daily from 1:30 to 2 p.m. so pharmacy staff can take an uninterrupted lunch break. (FILE PHOTO)
Borrowing a page from business operations in years gone by, CVS announced Wednesday that it will be closing most of its pharmacies daily so staff can take a lunch break.
The chain will be giving pharmacy staff time off from 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. each day.
Locally, CVS operates locations at 1332 Main St., Hellertown; 305 W. 4th St., Bethlehem; 4950 Freemansburg Ave., Easton; 8310 Easton Road, Ottsville; 610 N. West End Blvd., Quakertown; and 7001 Rt. 309, Coopersburg.
CVS said in a statement that the decision to close its pharmacy locations at lunchtime each day will help ensure that pharmacy staff get an uninterrupted break during work.
The new schedule goes into effect nationwide on Monday, Feb. 28, but CVS has already begun alerting customers to the change.
“We want to make sure our pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are at their best, which means supporting their schedules accordingly. While we’ve always had a meal break policy, we’ve begun rolling out a pre-scheduled, uninterrupted lunch break across our pharmacies,” a spokesperson for CVS said.
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In November 2021, CVS announced it would be closing 900 of its 9,900 retail locations for good over the next three years.
In a statement, the company said that the closures–which will be announced in the coming months–will help align with new “population, consumer buying patterns and future health needs.”
In December and January, many pharmacy chains saw staffing, operations and hours of operation disrupted at some stores amid the surge in COVID-19 cases.
Note: This story originally appeared on LevittownNow.com. It is republished with permission.
