We’ve officially passed the one year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic. As more community members receive vaccines, it feels to many that we are entering a new phase of the pandemic. We of course won’t be able to go back to “normal” overnight, but these recent changes suggest a light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks to all who contacted Governor Walz to advocate for the prioritization of vaccines for essential grocery workers. As of March 18, more than 15% of Seward Co-op staff are at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19.
Seward Co-op had made many operational changes over the past year with the intent to slow the spread of COVID-19. We altered store hours and capacity, we put a pause on self-serve items, in-store demos and we closed the Creamery Café. The list goes on.
Now that the government is rolling back restrictions put in place earlier in the pandemic, at the co-op we are starting to strategize our own path forward. Customers and staff have inquired about when the hot bar and salad bar will reopen. While we are still in the discovery phase of planning, we have recently started to return to pre-pandemic operations by again offering self-serve coffee, soup and bakery items. There will be more to come as we slowly continue planning (and dial back in, as needed) and think about re-opening our café.
Stay tuned to this page, eNewsletter, and social media for updates on the co-op’s roll back plan.