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Starbucks Suspends Reusable Cups To Help Prevent Spread Of Coronavirus

PHILADELPHIA (CBS/CNN) -- Companies across the country are trying to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus and a popular coffee chain is halting the use of reusable cups. Starbucks announced they are temporarily suspending reusable cups to help prevent the spread.

The company will continue to honor its 10-cent discount for anyone who brings in a personal cup or tumbler for coffee, even though customers can't use them, said Rossann Williams, Starbucks' president of company-operated businesses in the United States and Canada.

Starbucks said it is increasing the number of cleanings at all its company-operated stores and suspending business-related air travel, both domestic and international, for the rest of March. Large meetings at the company's offices in the United States and Canada are being postponed or modified, the company said.

They declined to say how long the bring-you-own-mug program would be suspended.

Meanwhile Facebook, Amazon, and Google have asked their employees to work from home and have stopped all in-person interviews.

Other companies are also bracing for the economic impact.

United Airlines and Jetblue are now cutting flights to get ahead of the decreased travel demands.

In a letter to employees United announced a 10% cut on domestic flights and 20% on international ones.

Jetblue is following suit, saying they are cutting flights by 5%.

©Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company contributed to this report.

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