Briefs for Business

After originally hoping to open on Thursday, Nordstrom Inc. instead will open its Spokane-area stores on Saturday after a three-month-long closure triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Seattle-based retailer will open its store at River Park Square in downtown Spokane and Nordstrom Rack in Spokane Valley as part of a phased approach that includes additional safety measures, according to a company news release.

Nordstrom is providing masks to employees and customers, and implementing social distancing guidelines. It will also conduct health screenings for employees, limit the number of customers in stores and increase sanitization measures, among other things.

Packing plants ramping back up

Meatpacking plants in Minnesota and elsewhere that were epicenters of COVID-19 outbreaks a month ago are getting back to normal, but the disruption caused by the virus is still being felt by farmers and consumers.

Closures and production slowdowns at slaughterhouses exposed a choke point in the nation’s food supply.

With output nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, farmers are contending with too many animals and ultralow prices for them. Shoppers, on the other hand, are facing meat prices that are substantially higher than before.

From staff and wire reports