Publix, WinnDixie and Fresco y Más to have hours exclusively for their older shoppers.

Supermarket giants Publix, Winn-Dixie and Fresco y Más have joined stores in South Florida and elsewhere that are restricting certain times exclusively for older shoppers during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people 65 and older or those with a serious underlying illness are most vulnerable to COVID-19. With stores using overnight hours while closed to sanitize, the first hour a store is open in the morning should be the cleanest time.

Publix will begin designating Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. for customers 65 and older, the company announced on Twitter on Thursday afternoon. The announcement also said Publix’s pharmacy will open at 7 a.m. on those days for seniors only. This will start March 24.

“We understand there are customers for whom shopping may be extra difficult right now, so we are pleased to offer them this dedicated time in our stores to shop at their own pace,” a Publix spokesperson said in a statement.

Southeastern Grocers, the parent company of Fresco y Más and Winn-Dixie stores, announced that it will begin designating 8 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday for seniors and high-risk customers in all stores. Southeastern Grocers chains will also open pharmacy locations at 8 a.m. on weekdays to provide prescription refills, influenza and pneumonia vaccines and customer counseling.

Dollar General, The Fresh Market, Sedano’s and Whole Foods announced a similar moves this week. Also, Target is setting aside an hour once a week, on Wednesdays.

Here are the specifics:

Dollar General hours may vary by location, check with your local store.

Fresh Market keeps 8 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday reserved for “seniors and those most at risk.”

Sedano’s Supermarkets sets aside 7 to 8 a.m. for those over 65 and most at risk.

Whole Foods, which has hours that may vary by location, will open for customers 60 and older an hour before the general public can enter.

Target will reserve the first hour of shopping every Wednesday for vulnerable guests.

Neither CVS nor Walgreens has opted to make special arrangements for seniors. Some of those stores’ locations are open 24 hours, which would also complicate things.

“We have not made changes to store hours for senior customers at this time,” a Walgreens spokesperson told the Sun Sentinel on Wednesday. “As this situation evolves, we are actively reviewing our policies, procedures and operations to promote the safety and wellbeing of our team members and customers.”

Said a CVS spokesperon: “At this time, we have no announcement to make regarding plans to adjust hours of operation”

AMY BETH BENNETT/SUN SENTINEL Three supermarket giants, including Publix, added senior hours in the morning on different days for those most at-risk during the coronavirus pandemic, continuing a trend started earlier in the week.