Pharmacies Worried About Safety

Ashley Carter went to Pharmacy First in southwest Huntsville where she learned some major changes may be coming soon.

Tonight - some pharmacies are taking another look at how to keep employees safe.

This comes after an employee at a pharmacy on redstone arsenal tested positive for coronavirus.

Some technicians we talked to today told us they're feeling a little stressed as the number of cases grows.

Waay 31's ashley carter went to "pharmacy first" in southwest huntsville - where they told her major changes may be coming soon.

Sam wheeler, pharmacy technician: "i mean it's obviously kind of scary when you work in a pharmacy and people coming in sick all the time."

Sam wheeler told me when he heard a pharmacy employee on redstone arsenal contracted the coronavirus...he felt a little uneasy as a pharmacy technician .... he and his co-workers come across many sick customers daily.

Now they're figuring out the best way to keep everybody safe.

Susan guffey, pharmacy technician: "i think we're a little nervous but we're more stressed than anything because you know we want to make sure we take care of everyone."

So far the pharmacy has explored a few options to do that.

That includes closing the inside of the store - so customers can only go through the drive thru.

They've also discussed only allowing a certain number of customers in at a time, so there are only 10-people or fewer inside at one time but - both could hurt business.

Sam wheeler, pharmacy technician: "if we do have to close the inside down, i mean we're a small business and that could really hurt us in the long run.

We might not be able to recover from that."

Susan guffey, pharmacy technician: "we're going to have a congestion here on this road right here."

Susan guffey is a pharmacy technician at first pharmacy.

She says another issue they're facing - is people worrying they have to stockpile on their medications susan guffey, pharmacy technician: "we're getting daily calls you know can i get my medicine filled like three - and we've even had a lady ask for six months out."

But pharmacy first says closing down would be the absolute last resort sam wheeler, pharmacy technician: "people depend on us for their medications, and it's not like these people are just going to stop needing their blood pressure meds and things like that, so if any place closes down we would probably be one of the last ones to."

Thanks ashley.

The pharmacy told us it's waiting on some guidelines before deciding what to do next.

They said right now the only way they will be closing down is in the event an employee does contract the virus -- then everyone would be tested