WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Hy-Vee Inc. is taking additional steps to fight the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Beginning Friday, customers will no longer be allowed to bring in reusable bags. The ban, which will be in place until further notice, is intended to helping prevent the spread of the virus, since it not possible for the retailer to know what steps (if any) consumers are taking to sanitize the bags between uses.

Hy-Vee customers also will start seeing temporary window panels installed at checkouts to help provide an additional layer of protection for both employees and customers.

These panels are being installed at the checkout because that is the point in the store visit where customers and employees are in the closest contact, the company said, noting that in store aisles and at service counters, customers and employees have more flexibility in placing distance between themselves, but the setup of the checkout limits that ability. Panels are in place in Hy-Vee’s Des Moines-area stores, and will be installed in all other Hy-Vee locations over the next few days.

“The spread of this virus is asking us all to take extraordinary measures and change the way we live our lives,” said Randy Edeker, Hy-Vee’s chairman, CEO and president. “We are continuing to adapt at Hy-Vee so that we can serve our customers and keep everyone in our stores as safe and healthy as possible.”