The Myer store at Dubbo is entering its second week of temporary closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, as the company says it is communicating with team members about options available to them.
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The high-profile retailer told the ASX it was supportive of distancing measures, and would shut the doors across the country from March 30 for an initial period of four weeks.
Team members at Dubbo were some of its staff numbering about 10,000 people to be stood down across the store network, the Myer statement said.
As employees would not be working, they would not be paid during the period of imposed closure, but full-time and part-time members would have greater flexibility to access annual leave and long service leave entitlements, in addition to government assistance measures, the company told the ASX.
Myer declined to reveal to the Daily Liberal how many staff were affected by the closure at Dubbo, but gave an update about how it was supporting team members.
"The health, safety and welfare of our customers, team members and the greater community is paramount, that is why we made the decision to temporarily close all Myer stores to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 - including our Dubbo store," a spokesperson said.
"Our thoughts are with our team members, and their families, as we know this will be a difficult period.
"We are communicating with them on the options available to them, including accessing leave and government assistance, and we are looking at further ways to support their health and wellbeing during this time."
The spokesperson said Myer was committed to serving Dubbo customers through its online store, and had reduced its free delivery threshold to $49.
"[We] thank our Dubbo customers for their loyalty to Myer and their understanding during this time," the spokesperson said.
"We look forward to seeing them in store soon."
The details of the federal government's new $130 billion JobKeeper package are still being completed and the legislation is expected to go to Parliament this week.
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