In the first full week of the New Year, Manville did not have a great start. If anyone knows anything about Manville, they mostly know about Manville because of the well-known Walmart that is located in the center of town. In the week of January 2nd, 2022, Walmart closed down. The cause for this closing was because of an outbreak in COVID cases among the workers of Walmart. They closed for a day and a half in order to sanitize the whole store. Although this was a big store to close in Manville, it wasn’t the only one.

Along with Walmart closing, Quickcheck and Royal Farms closed as well. Each of these stores had workers with COVID and had no option other than to close. After reopening, it can be seen the shortage of workers in these stores, especially in Walmart. In Walmart, the pharmacy is low on workers and only has about 3 people working at most times. In the town of Manville with a rise in cases, people should take more precautions. With the new corona variants of Delta and Omicron, COVID is more spreadable.

Although this is the case, there are many ways to prevent the spread of covid and protect yourself.
Here are some ways that you can protect yourself and others:
1. Wear a mask to prevent the spread of covid and protect yourself
2. Wash hands often and thoroughly with soap and water or always have hand sanitizer accessible
3. Try your best to stay six feet away from others as much as possible; although it isn’t easy in the crowded areas, make sure to keep your mask up
4. Stay aware of your symptoms and know the signs of catching covid. If you are positive, isolate yourself for the correct amount of time and do not put others at risk; you are saving countless lives by doing so
5. Buy items/food through contactless and to-go options; places such as Walmart, Quickcheck, Dunkin Donuts, and Mcdonalds have a mobile order option. Download the stores app and order from the comfort of your home; then pick it up quickly when its ready
6. Order food through delivery. Many of the restaurants here in Manville can be accessed through food delivery apps such as DoorDash and Uber eats, make sure to check them out as they are safer than going to the restaurant itself