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NEW YORK — CVS Health and Rite Aid Corp. have closed stores in Baltimore that were damaged in the city’s ongoing riots.
A CVS spokeswoman said Wednesday that two CVS/pharmacy stores sustained heavy damage from the rioting and have been closed, and no employees or customers were harmed. Five CVS stores were affected by the protests, which began on Monday, and the company initially shut those locations but has since reopened three of them, she said.
“CVS Health remains fully committed to serving our customers and patients in Baltimore, and we have been grateful for their show of support over this week. Our top priority is to maintain a safe working environment for our Baltimore employees and to serve our patients with medical needs. With the exception of the two stores that sustained heavy damage earlier this week, we are up and running in all of our Baltimore locations,” CVS Health spokeswoman Carolyn Castel said in a statement.
“We have nearly 30 stores in Baltimore, with many reasonably close to the locations that we closed due to fire damage,” she added. “We will continue to fill patient needs through the many facilities that remain in operation.”
Rite Aid has closed eight stores in Baltimore because of damage from the rioting, a company spokeswoman said Wednesday. The drug chain is currently assessing the extent of the damage to those stores, and at those locations phone lines have been transferred to nearby stores that are open so customers can continue to get their prescriptions, she said.
“The safety of our customers and associates is our top priority. We will continue monitoring this fluid situation very closely, heeding the recommendations from local law enforcement,” Rite Aid spokeswoman Ashley Flower said in a statement.
Rite Aid has 29 stores in the city of Baltimore and Baltimore County and about 100 in the greater Baltimore area, she said.
The nation’s largest drug chain, Walgreens, also has stores in the Baltimore market. However, a company spokesman said none have been closed or suffered any damage.
“Currently, all of our stores in Baltimore are open for business,” stated spokesman Philip Caruso. “So far none of our stores have sustained damage that would force us to close.”
The riots were triggered by the April 19 death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African-American man who was arrested by Baltimore police and died in custody due to injuries sustained under unexplained circumstances.
A major protest was held in downtown Baltimore on April 25 and became violent, resulting in arrests and injuries. After Gray’s funeral on April 27, the unrest intensified with looting and burning of local businesses. That day, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency and summoned the Maryland National Guard to Baltimore.
