Winn-Dixie cashiers are now ringing up groceries in Montgomery from behind a plexiglass guard.

The grocery chain joins a growing list of companies, including Publix and Walmart, that have announced plans to place workers behind sneeze guards and other barriers. The chains are considered essential businesses and have continued to operate as the coronavirus pandemic grips the nation.

Winn-Dixie parent company Southeastern Grocers said it’s putting the partitions at registers, customer service desks and pharmacies as part of a range of expanded safety measures. Workers are conducting temperature checks among staff, there are social distancing floor markers in stores and touch-free payment options have rolled out across the chain. Customers are being asked to maintain a two-cart-length distance from each other.

“I am extremely proud of our associates who are going above and beyond to serve our customers,” President and CEO Anthony Hucker said in a release.

Like other stores, it has also implemented special store hours for at-risk shoppers and emergency workers.

Publix announced Wednesday that it planned to have shields installed at each of its 1,243 locations within about two weeks, the latest in a series of elevated safety precautions. That announcement came days after the company revealed that an employee in Georgia had tested positive for COVID-19.

“We’re taking extra precautions for the well-being of our customers and associates,” Publix spokeswoman Maria Brous told The Associated Press.

Walmart announced last month that it has started installing guards at its pharmacies and registers inside Walmart and Sam’s Club stores nationwide. They expect the rollout to finish soon. It’s also offering gloves and masks to workers.

Under a stay-at-home order issued Friday by Gov. Kay Ivey, Alabama stores are required to place employees at entrances and exits to limit crowd levels. Stores can have no more than 50% of the maximum that’s normally allowed in the building under state fire codes.

But some individual stores have adopted more strict rules. For instance, Walmart allows no more than 20% of capacity.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brad Harper at bharper1@gannett.com.