The excerpt from a social media site, sent to the Daily Post yesterday afternoon, began like this:
Walmart Closed til Friday due to COVID outbreak. Today when I went to Walmart this afternoon (Wed. 6/30), the manager was standing outside informing customers that the store was closed due to COVID. He said it was because of cases spiking in the community due to the influx of visitors…
…and then a link that said, “See More”.
Naturally, I wanted to See More, but it turned out that I had to join the social media site, if I wanted to read the rest of the posting. The website is named NextDoor.com, and unlike Facebook and many other social media sites, it appears to be aimed at creating social connections based on ‘geography’. When I joined (yes, I did join) the website identified me as a resident of “Downtown Pagosa Springs” and I was automatically welcomed and made to feel at home, and was shown recent postings by people who — apparently — live near me in the ‘urban core’.
The rest of my (new) neighbor’s posting… about Walmart:
Walmart Closed til Friday due to COVID outbreak. Today when I went to Walmart this afternoon (Wed. 6/30), the manager was standing outside informing customers that the store was closed due to COVID. He said it was because of cases spiking in the community due to the influx of visitors, so they needed to close to deep clean the store. When I asked if that meant several store employees had recently tested positive, he confirmed that they had. The store will reopen Friday morning.
Since I can’t recall a time when our Walmart store was closed during normal business hours, and because Walmart is one of my favorite stores (based on the number of times I visit each week) I jumped in my car and drove over there, to get a photo of the empty parking lot.
A couple of employees were standing near the front entrance, explaining to (possibly confused, possibly curious) customers that the store was closed, and would reopen on Friday morning.
I had parked a distance from the entrance to snap my picture, so one of the employees courteously walked out to meet me and explain that the shelves were desperately in need of re-stocking, and the staff was also doing some deep cleaning. And that the store would re-open on Friday morning.
The employee said nothing at all about COVID. And I didn’t ask.
But a story by reporter Randi Pierce, published in this morning’s Pagosa Springs SUN newspaper, includes this information:
On June 23, San Juan Basin Public Health (SJBPH) confirmed an outbreak of COVID-19 at the Pagosa Springs Walmart, with five employees having tested positive at that time.
An outbreak is defined by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as five or more cases associated with a single facility in a 14-day period.
As of June 29, SJBPH reported, 10 employees had tested positive and additional close contacts were under investigation.
The outbreak was first identified on June 12, SJBPH reported in a press release Wednesday, with that press release also noting the decision to close the store was made by Walmart…
…“All positive cases were put on isolation and those identified as unvaccinated close contacts were put on quarantine,” the press release reads.
Bill Hudson began sharing his opinions in the Pagosa Daily Post in 2004 and can’t seem to break the habit. He claims that, in Pagosa Springs, opinions are like pickup trucks: everybody has one.