×

A letter from the Keweenaw Co-op; Responsibilities to community and what our community can do to help achieve our goals in keeping our community healthy

Dear Copper Country,

As the landscape of conducting business changes during these challenging times – your Keweenaw Co-op is having to consider changes of our own as to how we can better serve you in the safest way possible. We are open for business providing you essential services – but, we are heeding the recommendations laid out by Governor Whitmer’s Executive “Stay-at-Home” Order announced on Mar. 23. Our responsibility to our community continues to be our business and we are taking extra precautions to maintain a clean and safe environment.

Please note the following updates/changes …

• Beginning Thursday, Mar. 26, we are adjusting our hours of operation to 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• Beginning Apr. 1, we will be open earlier each Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. for SENIORS ONLY.

• Our building will be staffed early mornings each day to deep clean with CDC recommended cleaning/disinfecting/sanitizing guidelines, stock shelves, and prep curbside orders.

• We are providing curbside pick-up for those who are sick, immunocompromised, caring for an ill family member, or otherwise in a vulnerable population.

• Posted extra hand washing and glove-wearing reminders in both staff and customer spaces.

• We have discontinued accepting Michigan can/bottle returnables until further notice.

• Providing all check stands with hand sanitizer for our staff and customers.

• We suspended all active and passive sampling and pulled all testers in our Wellness Department.

• Discontinuing the Co-op Explorers free fruit for kids program until further notice.

• Suspending all events in our store/community room until executive orders have been lifted.

• Providing our staff with up-to-date safety guidance as recommended by the CDC and other health officials

What you can do:

• Continue proper hand washing practices (water, soap, lather, 20-second scrub).

• Exercise Proper Respiratory Hygiene: when coughing or sneezing, it is recommended to use a tissue or your sleeve to stop the spread of airborne germs.

• If you have symptoms, stay home.

• Send only one member from your household to shop to ease overcrowding.

• We are practicing social distancing to limit the spread of germs and we ask you to please keep a distance of six feet from other shoppers and staff ­ – our floor tiles are 1-foot square – so, six tiles equal six feet. It’s easy!

• Our weekly Senior Day is Wednesday. We ask, for the protection of this vulnerable population, that if you are below the age of 55 and/or are shopping with young children to please shift your shopping day to another day of the week to help keep them safe.

• To limit the spread of germs – Checks and Credit/EBT cards are preferred methods for payment.

• If you bring your own reusable shopping bags we ask that you bag your own groceries

• We have discontinued allowing our customers to bring their own containers from home until further notice.

• Be community-minded and shop for your neighbors if you are shopping for yourself.

Your Keweenaw Co-op provides an essential service to our community. I want to assure you that we will be here to fill these needs. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to keep you informed, safe and supplied. Thank you to our dedicated staff for their steady, hard work to keep our community fed and healthy. They’re keeping positive, very busy and at-the-ready to implement whatever change comes next. All of your “thank yous” and appreciations keep us upbeat. We’d like to return gratitude for you, our owners and customers, for helping keep our Co-op an integral part of our community. Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns. Thank you Copper Country for your support – we will get through this together.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today