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Make That Quad Long Shot Grande In A Venti Cup To Go; Starbucks Responds To COVID-19

Starbucks said workers who choose to stay home or can't go in to work because they are infected by the coronavirus will still get paid for the next 30 days.
Gene J. Puskar
/
AP
Starbucks said workers who choose to stay home or can't go in to work because they are infected by the coronavirus will still get paid for the next 30 days.

Starbucks says it is closing all U.S. company-operated cafes and is moving to drive-thru and delivery services in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The closures will start on Friday and last for at least two weeks, the company said in a statement.

However, some cafés located in or around hospitals and health care centers may remain open as part of Starbucks' effort to serve first responders and health care workers who are on the frontlines of battling the virus.

According to the statement, workers who choose to stay home will be paid for the next 30 days. "This includes those who [have] been diagnosed with or exposed to COVID-19 and those who may need to take extra precautions, such as those 60 years or older or who have underlying health conditions, or are worried about or feeling unsafe coming to work."

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Vanessa Romo is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She covers breaking news on a wide range of topics, weighing in daily on everything from immigration and the treatment of migrant children, to a war-crimes trial where a witness claimed he was the actual killer, to an alleged sex cult. She has also covered the occasional cat-clinging-to-the-hood-of-a-car story.