Starbucks bans BYO cups over coronavirus fears

You’ll be taking that latte to go.

Starbucks is banning “for here” ceramic mugs and reusable personable cups as a precautionary measure against the deadly coronavirus.

The coffee giant, which had to close 4,000 of its stores in China at the start of the outbreak, will still give a 10-cent discount for anyone who brings their own cup or asks for a mug — though they’ll be given a more-sanitary paper cup.

“Our focus remains on two key priorities: Caring for the health and well-being of our partners and customers and playing a constructive role in supporting local health officials and government leaders as they work to contain the virus,” Rossann Williams, executive vice president of US retail,  wrote in a blog post.

This week, the coffee chain also stepped up cleaning efforts, telling workers to spend about half an hour on deeper cleaning, which the company wants staff to perform during peak times.

It’s among the drastic efforts to help curb the virus’ spread, which has infected more than 97,000 people worldwide and killed more than 3,000 since its outbreak in China in January. It’s now to the point where countries outside China are reporting more than 18 times the number of daily coronavirus cases than within China.

Symptoms of the coronavirus include fever, cough and runny nose — which are similar to the flu or a cold. Experts say if you’re experiencing any of those symptoms you should stay home. But if you have a fever that won’t go away, and are experiencing shortness of breath and lethargy, experts say to call — not visit — your doctor to discuss next steps and testing.

“If you feel well enough that if it weren’t for coronavirus you wouldn’t see a doctor, don’t see a doctor,” Lauren Sauer, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine, told the Washington Post.

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