FAQs & real-time information on our response to the coronavirus pandemic. Last updated July 20, 2020.

What is Walgreens doing to further expand COVID-19 testing locations?

How are you supporting seniors during this time?

Cleaning supplies and sanitizers

Cough/cold, pain/fever and immunity support

Select grocery items

Infant formula/adult nutrition

Medical supplies/first aid

Paper goods

All stores now have social distancing lines, indicated with decals and signage that begin 6 feet away from checkout and pharmacy counters, and is marked in 6-foot increments to indicate where customers should stand while waiting.



In addition, we have installed protective plastic shields in our stores chain-wide. These barriers may help reduce or eliminate virus exposure (per CDC recommendations) in places where proper social distancing is not possible, such as at point of sale. They are in place for both our front-end and pharmacy registers nationwide.



We have also introduced a number of other service offerings to encourage social distancing such as: the expansion of our Postmates on-demand delivery service nationwide; expanded drive-thru offerings to include select front-end products in addition to prescriptions; waiving delivery fees on eligible prescriptions and special hours for seniors.







Will you be installing plexiglass shields in your stores?

Our local Walgreens is out of certain products. Will they be restocked?

What is the best way for customers to stay up-to-date on product availability of high-demand items in your stores?

Do you have alternative ways for customers to get through a transaction without touching the keypad?

Are you taking extra precautions to keep your stores clean?

Are Walgreens photo kiosks still open?

What happens when there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in your store?

What’s happening in our pharmacies?

How are you preparing pharmacy staff to address patient questions regarding COVID-19?

How can patients access their prescriptions if they are being quarantined or want to avoid going in-store?

Are pharmacists still giving vaccines?

As announced on June 22, Walgreens has resumed immunization services with additional safety measures in place for pharmacy team members and patients. The changes follow recently updated CDC guidelines and come ahead of flu season, which health officials warn may coincide with a second wave of COVID-19.



Key measures Walgreens is implementing to ensure the safe administration of immunizations for our patients and pharmacy team members include: All pharmacy team members are required to wear disposable facemasks at all times, including while administering immunizations, and follow proper glove and handwashing procedures that are standard for vaccination administration.

As an additional safety measure, all pharmacy team members administering immunizations are receiving plastic face shields to be used during immunizations for eye protection.

Patients entering a pharmacy are encouraged to wear a face covering to protect others, and those who do not have one will be provided a facemask prior to receiving immunizations.

At least six feet of distance is maintained between pharmacy waiting area chairs where patients may choose to complete paperwork and wait for their immunization or appointment.

Are you experiencing shortages of hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine phosphate, remdisivir, baloxavir and lopinavir/ritonavir?

Keeping our team members safe

Why is Walgreens keeping its stores open, even in states that have declared a state of emergency?



Why aren’t you providing your employees with gloves?

In our stores, we have implemented a number of measures to protect our teams including social distancing guidance and decals, plexiglass shields, additional hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies and, recently, face covers. Frequent handwashing with soap and water or use of hand sanitizer remains among the most effective ways of protecting against the coronavirus.



Are you doing temperature checks in your stores?

We are conducting daily health checks for team members in our distribution centers, centralized services, regional offices, Support office and stores.



Is your pharmacy considering going drive-thru only?

What is the expectation for employees who aren’t feeling well?

Would hourly team members be paid if they take sick time due to a COVID-19 incident in store, or are diagnosed with COVID-19?

Relaxing our attendance policy for hourly team members, permitting team members to stay at home due to concerns surrounding COVID-19 for situations including childcare needs due to school closures, camp closures and lack of daycare, seniors age 65 and above, those with medically documented compromised immune systems, or if team members are showing flu- or COVID-19-like symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath.

Paying team members for up to the first two weeks of their absence if they contract a confirmed case of COVID-19, if they are ordered by their healthcare provider to self-isolate and “presumed positive” even without a test, have had prolonged close contact with a confirmed positive team member, or have had prolonged close contact with a presumed positive team member and develop COVID-19-like symptoms. The team member will not be required to use paid time off (PTO) or vacation time, and/or apply for disability benefits during this time. If team members are unable to recover and return to work after two weeks, an additional pay option may be available via disability leave.

Paying team members showing COVID-like symptoms as outlined by the CDC for the day of their work shift and the next day if scheduled to work and unable to secure an appointment with a medical provider on the first day of their absence.

Paying team members for the remainder of their shift and for the next day (if scheduled to work) while they seek a medical opinion about whether they have COVID-19 if a store leader or manager observes COVID-19-like symptoms and requires them to go home for the day.

Ensuring that if a store, area office, distribution center or other company workplace location falls under a mandated quarantine, any impacted team members will be paid for their absence without requiring the use of PTO.

Our stores have always been at the heart of America’s communities – a role we take very seriously, especially during this unprecedented time for our country. We are doing everything we can to help ensure the health and well-being of our team members and customers during the pandemic, and that includes keeping everyone updated and informed.As this is a rapidly evolving situation, we will refresh this page with our most up-to-date information on the company’s response and ongoing efforts in communities and across the United States.Walgreens is expanding drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites with plans to open in 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico to help meet the growing need in communities nationwide. With this next phase of expansion, our immediate focus is on underserved communities. Working with the federal, and state and local health officials is critical to keeping our communities healthy and enabling people to return to work once they can do so safely.We’ll focus our efforts on improving access to testing in underserved communities, and over time will also be working with companies to provide testing to employees, to help more businesses re-open in the weeks and months ahead.Testing will be available at no cost to eligible individuals who meet CDC criteria. The locations are operating 7 days a week, 9 am to 5pm, by appointment. All drive-thru testing occurs outdoors and patients do not leave their vehicles throughout the process. For more information on testing locations, visit Walgreens.com/Covid19Testing. At this time, there is no cost to eligible individuals who meet CDC criteria.The health and safety of our customers, team members and communities are our top priority, now more than ever. All testing site staff will be provided the necessary personal protective equipment as recommended by the CDC. Patients being tested will not be permitted to leave their vehicles or to enter the store.Most Walgreens stores nationwide will resume standard operating hours. The company continues to evaluate and adjust certain operations and offerings to meet the needs of its customers during the pandemic. Customers can visit the store locator for specific Walgreens store and pharmacy hours.At a time of heightened concerns for all of us, and especially for our senior patients, we’re continuing to do everything we can to help support our most vulnerable customers and patients. That’s why Walgreens health outcomes pharmacists, who are dedicated to helping to improving patient outcomes, are currently reaching out to our senior patients to ensure they receive the care and service they need, such as any prescription medications and product supply check-ins.Additionally, we offer our senior day discount all day on the first Tuesday of the month. Customers age 55 and older will receive 30 percent off regularly priced Walgreens brands and 20 percent off regularly priced national brands. Restrictions may apply. Current quantity limits on certain high demand products will be required.*Customers and patients should visit our store locator for specific pharmacy hours.We play a critical role in providing patients and customers access to the care, products and services they need, and this is even more important as we work around the clock to support the COVID-19 pandemic. We are offering additional, essential items at the pharmacy drive-thru to offer our customers convenience and peace of mind as communities across the country practice social distancing to fight the spread of COVID-19.More than 60 front-end products are currently available for purchase at drive-thru, including household essentials chosen specifically to support the needs of customers and communities during the pandemic. These additional products include:Customers may confirm product availability with the pharmacist or technician at the pharmacy drive-thru window. We are working around the clock to support the COVID-19 pandemic, and ask that customers practice patience as we work to provide this new service.Yes, we have installed protective plastic shields in our stores chain-wide, with priority being given to our stores in the most impacted areas at this time. We are working as quickly as possible to complete the installation across all of our stores.While we have taken additional measures to encourage social distancing, these barriers may help reduce or eliminate virus exposure (per CDC recommendations) in places where proper social distancing is not possible, such as at point of sale. They are place for both our front-end and pharmacy registers nationwide.This is one of our many efforts to help ensure the health and safety of our team members, customers and patients, and to align with CDC guidelines and recommendations.We now require team members in our stores to wear face covers, and continue to take actions meeting or exceeding recommendations from the CDC, OSHA, public health officials and other credible sources while following federal, state and local health advisories.Also consistent with CDC guidelines, customers are required to wear face covers before entering the store except where doing so would inhibit the individual’s health or where the individual is under two years of age. We have signage on doors and make announcements over the store's public address system to remind customers that face covers are required. However, for the safety of our team members, we are not directly confronting individuals who are not wearing them in stores.Walgreens is providing wipes at the front of stores to clean shopping carts and baskets chain-wide, with priority being given to our stores in the most impacted areas at this time. We are working as quickly as possible to provide wipes at all of our stores as an additional step to promote the safety and wellbeing of our team members and customers.We have put into effect purchase limits on certain products to improve inventory and to help ensure products can be more widely available. In addition, we continue to work closely with supplier partners to address the current supply chain dynamics.Because of high demand, we’re limiting the purchase of, andtoper product category, per customer.andpurchases are now limited toper product category, per customer.purchases are now limited toper product category, per customer.We are restocking stores as quickly as possible, and apologize for any inconvenience.Our website updates with the latest available store inventory information frequently throughout the day. We’re continuing to see greater demand for a number of products across our stores nationwide, which may cause temporary shortages. We are restocking those stores as quickly as possible and continuing to work diligently with our supplier partners to best meet customer demands.Customers may opt to purchase items with Apple Pay or with credits cards that offer contactless, “tap and pay” technology at the point-of-sale. Customers may also shop online at Walgreens.com, with free delivery on any purchases over $35.Stores have been increasing the frequency of daily cleaning procedures including cleaning high-traffic areas counter tops and point-of-sale terminals, with additional deep cleaning being conducted by a professional cleaning service at all stores. Our team members are taking appropriate protective steps such as wearing gloves during this cleaning process all distribution centers are proactively pushing out additional cleaning and sanitization items to stores nationwide for team member use.We are working to send cleaning supplies to our stores on an ongoing basis. The situation is fluid regarding supply and given these unprecedented circumstances, we are taking additional measures to provide team members the items they need. As an example, we have expanded our hand sanitizer supplier base from two suppliers to more than 10 suppliers to ensure we can increase manufacturing and flow of inventory to our stores. By doing so, we have commitments for amounts significantly in excess to our typical annual demand. Stores are also encouraged to use inventory from products for sale such as cleaning supplies, sanitizing wipes, hand sanitizer, isopropyl alcohol, etc., as needed.We have reduced the photo kiosk availability by shutting down kiosks as necessary in each store to ensure customers are maintaining social distancing. Minimally, one kiosk must still operate in store to help with critical passport options and essential services like Western Union.Walgreens champions the health and wellbeing of every community in America, and we are committed to providing a safe environment for our team members and customers. When notified of a confirmed or presumed positive COVID-19 case, we take actions meeting or exceeding recommendations from the CDC, OSHA, public health officials and other credible sources while following federal, state and local health advisories. Our clinical and safety teams work closely with our field and store leadership to respond accordingly, which may include identifying and contacting individuals who may be at risk in order to self-quarantine or self-monitor their health, as well as cleaning and disinfecting the location or impacted areas of the store. Cleanings may require temporarily closing a store, at which time customers may visit a nearby store location for their prescription needs.We are actively reviewing our policies and procedures as guidelines evolve, and will continue to adjust our safety protocols accordingly to promote the safety and wellbeing of our team members and customers.Working closely with our clinical and safety teams, we continuously share the latest information from the CDC and other health officials with our pharmacy team members to serve as a resource and help address any patient questions/concerns.Our pharmacists are trained and equipped to discuss medication-related concerns and alternative methods for prescription dispensing, such as prescription delivery or drive thru options. Patients can reach a Walgreens pharmacist via phone, in store or using the pharmacy chat option on our website and Walgreens app. Our pharmacy team also partners with health plan partners, physicians and state officials to help patients access the medications they need through services like 90-day medication supply, early refill authorizations and prescription delivery services.Patients looking for alternative ways to access their prescriptions may use our pharmacy drive-thru, and Walgreens is waiving delivery fees for all eligible prescriptions. Patients should talk to their pharmacists to confirm their prescriptions are eligible for delivery at this time. They can also send a representative to pick up their medications on their behalf if they choose.At this time, Walgreens has maintained an adequate supply and inventory of these medicines and are able to meet the prescription needs of our current patients. Patients with questions about their medications can reach out any time via phone or using the pharmacy chat option available on Walgreens.com and Walgreens app.Our team members are the face of Walgreens, supporting customers, patients and communities across America, who are relying on us now more than ever. To assist team members with unexpected expenses incurred during the pandemic as they are doing everything they can to support customers, patients and communities across America, we are providing a one-time payment of $300 for full-time and $150 for part-time hourly team members working in our stores and distribution centers. This includes hourly and salaried pharmacists who are actively employed as of the date of the payment.Walgreens champions the health and wellbeing of every community in America, playing a critical role in providing patients and customers access to the care, products and services they need. This is even more important as we work around the clock to support the COVID-19 pandemic We are closely monitoring this situation and will adjust our business operations and policies based on all federal, state and local health advisories. We are also in close communication with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as other health organizations.We are actively reviewing our policies, procedures and operations to promote the safety and wellbeing of our team members and customers. We also expanded our offering to additional products at the pharmacy drive-thru as our customers practice social distancing to fight the spread of COVID-19.All employees who are not feeling well and have symptoms associated with COVID-19 are encouraged to stay home and contact their primary care physician. We have protocols in place to self-isolate employees who are diagnosed with COVID-19 by test or who have been given a presumptive diagnosis of COVID-19 by their primary care physician, and corresponding guidelines for other employees who have had close contact with the person with symptoms.To help our team members through this period, we’ve made several key changes regarding team member pay and benefits, including:A resource for all Walgreens employees year-round, the company offers free access to Life365, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that offers confidential behavioral health, childcare, legal support and more. The confidential program can help team members manage current day stressors like balancing work and family during the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping their loved ones safe, and providing relevant guidance from trained counselors all intended to keep them feeling healthy and resilient. Life365’s trained specialists are governed by federal and state licensing laws and are ready to assist team members 24/7.