Kmart will cut the operating hours of its stores to give staff more time to clean – after two workers tested positive for coronavirus.
In a statement tonight, Kmart announced it would cut hours from April 1 across all Australian stores.
"We want to play our part, during these uncertain times, to protect our team members and customers as best we can," Kmart said.
"With this in mind — we've made the decision to temporarily reduce our operating hours across the country — giving our teams more time to clean stores and support online order fulfilment.
"This is a challenging time for us all and we want you to know that we're doing everything we can to support you – our customers – at this time."
Kmart's 24-hour stores will stay open from 8am-10pm, seven days a week.
The rest of Australia's stores will operate as follows:
Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania: 8am – 8pm, weekdays and 8am – 5pm, weekends.
Western Australia and South Australia: 8am – 8pm, weekdays and 8am – 5pm, Saturday and 11am – 5pm, Sunday.
Queensland: 7am – 8pm, weekdays and 7am – 5pm, Saturday and 9am – 5pm, Sunday.
The change in hours comes as two Kmart workers at a Melbourne store tested positive for coronavirus.
Kmart's Chadstone store was forced to close today after two casual workers tested positive for the virus.
“As soon as we were made aware, we immediately closed the store as a safety precaution and commenced a thorough sanitisation of the store,” a Kmart spokesperson said.
“We have worked closely with the Department of Health who have advised us that there is minimal risk to any customers who entered our store on that day.”
