Beginning Monday, Virginia’s Alcoholic Beverage Authority will adjust daily opening hours to noon at its 395 stores.

Increasing numbers of ABC’s retail employees continue to be affected by COVID-19, making staffing in stores difficult, according to a release from Virginia ABC. This change in hours will enable Virginia ABC’s limited workforce to better serve its customers. Store closing times will remain the same.

 “Like other retailers affected by pandemic-related staffing shortages, we are modifying our store hours to reduce the need to close stores because of employee quarantines,” said CEO Travis Hill. “Opening at noon meets the needs of the majority of our customers, most of whom prefer to shop in the afternoon.”

Virginia ABC continues to follow safety measures recommended for retailers by the Virginia Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All ABC stores are equipped with Plexiglas shields at registers and undergo daily cleaning and sanitizing with particular attention to the most frequented areas. All store employees are required to wear face masks. For everyone’s health and safety, customers are encouraged to also wear face masks when shopping in an ABC store.

As an alternative to in-store shopping, customers can place orders online at www.abc.virginia.gov for curbside pickup or home delivery in nearly all areas of the commonwealth.

ABC continues to monitor information coming from the CDC, VDH and the governor’s office regarding COVID-19. Future decisions related to ABC store operations will be made with guidance from these official sources and implemented on a case-by-case basis.