. . World News – US – Stores like Walmart are changing Black Friday shopping for added security. Experts say none of this matters if buyers don’t wear masks.

Several big-name retail stores added extra in-store safeguards ahead of the Black Friday shopping spree, and we spoke to three experts to find out which precautions actually help the most.

Large stores across the country have put in place a number of security mandates to protect shoppers and employees on the historically fast-paced Black Friday shopping day as coronavirus cases continue to surge in the US. For example, some stores – including JCPenney and Lowe’s – offer contactless roadside pickup, while others – like Home Depot and T. . J. . Maxx – need face masks.

The three experts we spoke to agree that contactless roadside collection and wearing face masks – retail protocols that have normalized since the pandemic began – are helping to increase the spread of COVID-19 to stop.

« We have data that shows that large gatherings of people, especially indoors, will lead to an outbreak, » said Dr. . Jill Weatherhead, an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine, told Business Insider in an interview. « These other strategies [besides wearing masks] really rely on the knowledge that hopefully if we reduce people who go to stores, if through these other additional steps we decrease people’s close contact, we can hopefully reduce transmission. « 

Read More: REI gives its employees a paid day off on Black Friday, but the hourly staff say this is a « marketing move » and that the company has deviated from its co-op roots

Stephen Kissler, an infectious disease researcher at Harvard School of Public Health, believes the most important action stores can take is to limit the number of customers inside – a mandate Walmart recently added reintroduced – to reduce the likelihood of a superspreader event. Weatherhead notes that setting a cap on the number of customers in the store is helpful as long as there are no crowds waiting in close contact outside of the store.

Stores like Michaels and Nordstrom will also limit opening times. Dr. . Stanley Perlman, professor at the University of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine, explains that « may not help if other rules are followed. « 

Both Kissler and Weatherhead go a step further by expressing concern about the strategy and stating that, according to Kissler, it could « backfire » instead.

« If you have fewer business hours, does this lead to overcrowded stores when stores are open? » Weatherhead said. « It does not seem to be beneficial to limit opening hours in order to reduce virus transmission. « 

Weatherhead and Kissler suggest that stores should instead take the reverse approach: extend opening hours to avoid possible overcrowding during reduced hours.

Retailers like Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods also block the possibility of large crowds by spreading sales over days or creating digital queues so customers can remotely wait to enter the store. The latter is an approach that Target and Best Buy are taking. Both Weatherhead and Perlman agree that this tactic would reduce the risk for buyers.

Read More.

Weatherhead and Kissler agree that reminders of social distancing in the form of tags or stickers on the floor are also helpful, although Perlman notes they may not « help much ». « 

« I think most people are starting to get used to this new normal, to make room and have these visual cues available. So the stores are offering that it probably isn’t necessary, but it’s a reminder for individuals to maintain this distance if they can, « Weatherhead said.

Some retailers like Lowe’s go a step further by using « ambassadors » at the front of the store to guide customers or remind people to wear masks and social distance. According to Weatherhead, like the markers and stickers, these « ambassadors » provide an additional « visual and verbal cue », although these workers should also wear PPE and be socially distant.

While providing hand sanitizer wipes in all stores is helpful, and staff handing out sanitized shopping carts « may help a little », cleaning areas with heavy contact may be « less important than we thought when the pandemic started, » Perlman.

On the flip side, selling hand sanitizer is a « low cost, time-saving activity that doesn’t bother the shopper, » according to Weatherhead, but enforcing social distancing and wearing masks is more important.

Stores like Best Buy have also started doing daily « wellness checks » for their employees. However, Perlman argues that providing testing and PPE would be more beneficial. And, according to Weatherhead, « the data suggests we probably don’t identify as many people with the virus by doing daily wellness checks. ». « 

However, conducting these daily checks is important as Weatherhead says employees are encouraged to stay home with the assistance of their employers if they feel uncomfortable.

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Walmart