Ben’s in downtown Belleville will stay open as ‘essential’ during coronavirus pandemic

Downtown Belleville shopping staple Ben’s will remain open because they operate a U.S. Postal Service location inside the store.

Manager Beth Wamble said the store had originally closed this week because of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s order that all nonessential businesses should cease operations.

But the store received a letter from the Postal Service on Monday asking them to remain open.

“The Postal Service relies on its contractors to provide this critical government service,” the letter stated. “Postal and shipping workers, including those in the private sector, are also considered essential critical infrastructure workers under recent guidance issued by the Department of Homeland Security.”

Temporary store hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The store is closed Sundays.

This story was originally published March 25, 2020 at 2:35 PM.

Kelsey Landis

Belleville News-Democrat

618-239-2101

Kelsey Landis is an Illinois state affairs and politics reporter for the Belleville News-Democrat. She joined the newsroom in January 2020 after her first stint at the paper from 2016 to 2018. She graduated from Southern Illinois University in 2010 and earned a master’s from DePaul University in 2014. Landis previously worked at The Alton Telegraph. At the BND, she focuses on informing you about what your lawmakers are doing in Springfield and Washington, D.C., and she works to hold them accountable. Landis has won Illinois Press Association awards for her work, including the Freedom of Information Award.