With hundreds of stores preparing to reopen in the U.S. within days or weeks, the National Retail Federation has launched "Operation Open Doors" to help them do it as safely as possible and with consistent approaches.

It's an online solution center, on nrf.com providing operational guidelines and considerations for how to reopen stores that have been temporarily closed due to COVID19. The guidelines were developed with input from hundreds of retail industry leaders.

Inconsistencies have revolved around the use of PPE for customers and employees, hours of operations, regulating traffic into the stores, and other issues.

Matt Shay, president and chief executive officer of the NRF, noted that retail is the nation's largest private-sector employer, contributing $3.9 trillion to annual GDP and supporting one in four U.S. jobs, or 52 million working Americans.

Shay added that NRF's retail leaders are primarily focused on customer safety, employee safety, and store and facility environment safety. "Consistent guidelines across all levels of government — without overburdensome regulatory schemes — are critical."

Other national retailers, however, including Macy's Inc., have said they have no plans to reopen in those states for the time being given the continuing high number of cases of the coronavirus.

full article: NRF Launches 'Operation Open Doors'

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