Commissaries keep safety No. 1 focus during COVID-19 outbreak as stores enter a new year of delivering the benefit

Note: To see a video related to this release, click on this link: https://vimeo.com/490862060/00fb31b84b

FORT LEE, Va. – Out with 2020 and in with 2021. Although the year has changed, the Defense Commissary Agency’s responsibility to deliver the commissary benefit safely during the COVID-19 pandemic has not.

“Be assured, at all of our commissary locations worldwide, we are following CDC and DOD guidance, specifically regarding sanitary measures, social distancing and wearing masks,” said Bill Moore, DeCA director and CEO. “These measures are particularly important to keep our employees and customers healthy as case numbers climb.”

On March 25, DeCA’s stores, central distribution centers and its central meat processing plant were designated mission-critical in DOD’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the agency has not taken this responsibility lightly, Moore said.

“The entire DeCA team appreciates the tremendous responsibility of being one of your valued lifelines for support and understands the critical mission of delivering your commissary benefit,” he said.

 Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, DeCA has implemented the following measures to help mitigate the spread of the virus in commissaries:

• Commissaries conduct daily health screenings of anyone who works in commissaries – including employees, baggers and affiliated contractors – before they start their shifts

• Anyone (including customers) entering a store must wear a face covering

• Stores have clear plastic sneeze shields in all regular checkout lanes

• Commissary personnel wipe down checkout areas, product display cases, restrooms and shopping carts with disinfectant, and practice routine hand washing and other basic sanitation measures

• Touchless credit card processing eliminates the need for the customer to sign

• Customers scan their own ID cards so cashiers can provide them touchless transactions

• Reusable bag usage has been banned

• DeCA canceled special events such as the spring sidewalk sales, in-store product demonstrations (including DeCA’s free coffee program), group tours, vendor-sponsored events and other events to discourage group gatherings

• Commissaries are working with installation leadership and public health personnel to implement risk reduction practices specific to that base

To help give customers more cost-effective options for personal protective equipment, commissaries have added disposable and reusable masks and digital contactless thermometers to store inventories.

“I would like to send a profound ‘thank you’ to our customers on behalf of our DeCA employees worldwide,” Moore said. “We all would like you to know how much we appreciate your understanding, patience, and continued support throughout the coronavirus outbreak.”

Customers should continue to refer to DeCA’s Coronavirus page  for updates related to commissaries. For overall updates and guidance regarding this virus, they are encouraged to access the following websites: the federal government’s response to COVID-19 and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Coronavirus site.

-DeCA-

PHOTO CAPTION: A customer shops at the Brunssum Commissary in the Netherlands during the store’s July 29 grand opening ceremony. DeCA stores are following CDC and DOD guidance, specifically regarding sanitary measures, social distancing and wearing masks. (DeCA photo: Norman Brown)

About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.