Walmart launches emergency leave policy after getting hit by the coronavirus

American companies are being hit by the coronavirus one after the other, and Walmart seems to be the latest one on the list. Recently, the company revealed that one of its employees in Cynthiana, Ky. was struck by the virus outbreak. As a consequence, the retail giant launched an emergency leave program for its employees.

The company had allegedly outlined the emergency plan in an email sent to its employees, noting that attendance policy was nullified through April due to the virus. The company did not reveal the identity of the employee that was struck by the virus, but it did note that "her condition is improving."

The coronavirus-related quarantine recommendations say that any individual infected by the virus is eligible for up to two week's worth of pay. If they are unable to return to work after that, the memo says that the additional pay replacement may be provided for as long as 26 weeks, regardless of whether the associate was a full-time or part-time employee.

This policy applies to all Walmart and Sam's Club employees, although they still need to update their direct report, as stated by John Furner, the CEO of Walmart, and Kathryn McLay, the CEO of Sam's Club.

Coronavirus outbreak continues to spread

As mentioned, Walmart is only the latest company to feel a direct impact of the virus outbreak. This even includes numerous Wall Street firms, like Morgan Stanley, Barclays, BlackRock, and others. The company also recently made headlines after US Rep. Matt Gaetz discovered that he was exposed to the virus. After that, he self-quarantined himself and slept in Walmart's parking lot while on his way from Washington D.C.

The coronavirus has seemingly led to the stock market crash, and not even Bitcoin managed to resist, although blockchain space did get the chance to shine due to its decentralized nature since it doesn't require employees to go to work and expose themselves. However, one area where the blockchain space is still just as vulnerable as traditional businesses are conferences, many of which have been canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.