Starbucks Takes Steps To Avoid Coronavirus Spread In Atlanta

ATLANTA, GA — Starbucks said Wednesday it’ll temporarily stop using reusable cups as health concerns for the new Coronavirus grows. The Ansley Mall location posted on Instagram that it’s enforcing the pause “in care of our customers and partners.”

“In addition to sanitizing procedures in all our stores, this is one more step we can take to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).”

Starbucks said in a public statement that they’ve “been closely monitoring the dynamic situation of COVID-19, along with the rest of the world.” The company said they have already been taking precautions in response to the emerging public health impact:

We are taking guidance from the CDC and local health authorities, we have increased cleaning and sanitizing for all company-operated stores to help prevent the spread of all germs, adding paid time for our partners supporting this work

We are pausing the use of personal cups and “for here” ware in our stores. We will continue to honor the 10-cent discount for anyone who brings in a personal cup or asks for “for here” ware.

We have provided scenario-based procedural information to our store teams on how to report and support anyone that may express they’ve been impacted by the virus, including store closure decision making support.

We have restricted all business-related air travel, domestic and international through March 31.

We have modified or postponed large meetings across our offices in the U.S. and Canada.

The disease, which originated in Wuhan, China is caused by a member of the coronavirus that's a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses.

Globally, more than 94,000 people have been infected and over 3,200 people have died from the new coronavirus, Johns Hopkins reported last Tuesday. Of that total, more than 80,000 cases are in China, while the entire United States has 130 confirmed cases to date.

Monitor the latest information on COVID-19 in Georgia and across the United States:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Georgia Department of Public Health