Retailers are considering reimposing facial coverings for customers following new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), setting the stage for a return to the mask wars that defined much of the pandemic until just a couple of months ago.
The CDC’s recommendation that vaccinated people in areas with high COVID-19 spread to wear masks indoors means nationwide chains now have a decision on their hands.
Most nationwide chains previously crafted their mask rules around the CDC’s guidance, but many of those same companies were quiet on the subject Wednesday, a day after the CDC announced its updated guidance.
However, industry groups indicated that mask mandates could very well return.
Retail Industry Leaders Association President Brian Dodge said in a statement that “masks may be necessary again in some circumstances” as CDC guidance evolves and the delta variant spreads.
“We ask customers to be mindful of the guidance provided by local retailers, and that they respect employees and their fellow customers who may continue to wear masks for the safety of themselves and their family,” he said.
The National Retail Federation said stores “will continue to follow the guidance of the CDC and other public health experts” in a statement following the CDC’s announcement.
Most of the nation’s largest retailers, including Walmart, Target and Whole Foods, did not respond to requests for comment about whether they will change their mask policies. As of Wednesday afternoon, the companies’ websites said they allow vaccinated customers to shop without a mask.
Retailers were quicker to react to the CDC’s guidance in mid-May that lifted the mask mandate for vaccinated customers. On the same day as the CDC announcement, Costco, Walmart, Sam’s Club and Trader Joe’s changed their mask policies to match the new guidance. Their sluggish response to the new guidance suggests that it creates a more complicated decision.
A spokesperson for Publix said the company is reviewing the CDC guidance and will provide updates on its policies as appropriate. The supermarket chain has more than 1,200 stores in Southeastern states, which are plagued by a surge in COVID-19 cases and low vaccination rates.
Tech giant Apple was an outlier Wednesday when it told retail staff that masks would be required at most stores for all customers, Bloomberg reported, making it the first major company to change its mask policy following the new CDC guidance.
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Retailers face tough decision on requiring masks again https://t.co/ECcQE7SQ1y pic.twitter.com/QUiqofmRj8
— The Hill (@thehill) July 28, 2021
Should be a no-brainer. COVID cases are rising again with the Delta strain being the most prominent. Businesses should require masks. As for the malcontents, do businesses really need them as customers? They should also require vaccination except in cases where medical conditions preclude vaccination. But I don’t see that happening.
I really haven’t taken my mask off except in my own home and that of other vaccinated people. I don’t drive, so I have to take public transport most places and those still require masks. When I get to my destination, I could take the mask off, but I figure why bother. I balked at mask wearing early on in the pandemic and now I’m accustomed to it. Mask wearing is not a problem; being on a ventilator is.
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