While Alabama, Mississippi and Texas will soon join more than a dozen other U.S. states without statewide mask requirements, many large retailers and employers are unprepared to remove face coverage. against the background of a pandemic which killed more than 1,900 Americans on Thursday alone.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey is the latest sign of masks that will soon be optional in her state. Kay joi extended the state’s mask requirement until April 9, when he will drop it and leave the decision to the people.
The announcement by the Republican leader came two days after the governors of Texas and Mississippi said they would step down from their masks and allowing companies to operate at full capacity.
In decisions collided with “Neanderthal thinking” by President Joe Biden, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said, “We make sure all businesses and families in Texas have the freedom to determine their own destiny.” Meanwhile, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said he “goes out of his way to tell people what they can and can’t do” by lifting the mask.
Despite the policies of their states, residents of Alabama, Texas and Mississippi will still have to wear face masks if they want to enter many supermarkets, but not all, and other large retail chains. These retailers, which include Kroger, Target and Walgreens, have cited guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to continue to demand masks and take other measures to protect workers and consumers from the virus.
Albertsons, one of the largest supermarket and pharmacy chains in the country, initially said it would drop its requirements for customers to wear face masks in its stores and that only its 325,000 workers should cover face. But the company revised its plans on Friday.
“Our front-line associates did not have full access to the vaccine. Subsequently, our stores and facilities in Texas will continue to request masks for associates, vendors and customers, regardless of whether the mask mandate has been lifted,” a spokesman said. of the company in an emailed statement referring to the Texas governor’s order, which goes into effect Wednesday, March 10th.
Albertsons operates stores in 34 states and the District of Columbia under banners, including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs. The company also runs more than 1,700 pharmacies in its grocery stores and is among the 21 national chains and independent networks participating in a federal program to increase access to US COVID-19 vaccines
Other participants in the federal effort are not prepared to allow customers to enter their stores and pharmacies without masks.
Magnolia Pharmacy in Magnolia, Texas, will continue to require masks “for the convenience of my staff and patients,” said owner Steven Hoffart, who noted that the nature of the business means sick people come in frequently. “It’s not about COVID, it’s about the stomach bug, the flu, any disease, cough, cold – if I can prevent it from spreading to my staff, that’s the biggest reason we ask patients to wear masks,” he said. Hoffart.
A member of the Good Neighbor Pharmacy Network in AmerisourceBergen, Hoffart Pharmacy currently immunizes between 100 and 150 people a day with COVID-19 vaccines from the federal and state governments, a tedious but joyful operation, which he describes as similar. running a second business.
Walgreens to continue gentle reminders
“There is no change at this time in the policy of the company’s mask mandate or any current security protocols that are in place in our stores or in any workplace to protect our customers and team members. We are following the current CDC and OSHA safety protocol recommendations, “a Walgreens spokesman said in an email.
The policy of the pharmacy chain over time has been to “easily remind customers who shop without masks of the requirement, but out of concern for the safety of our employees, we do not stop these customers from buying,” he added. spokesman, referring to the reactions that employees sometimes face when trying to apply the rules of the mask to customers.
Another major pharmacy, CVS Health, will also maintain its face-covering policy at stores nationwide, a CVS Health spokesman citing “strong scientific evidence that masks help prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
“If a client does not wear a mask or face mask, we will send them to our signage and ask them to help protect themselves and others by listening to the experts and listening to the call to wear a face mask.” , added the spokesman. “For safety reasons, our employees are instructed to avoid increased confrontations with non-compliant customers and to help them complete their purchases as quickly as possible.”
Kroger, the country’s largest supermarket chain, “will continue to require everyone in our stores across the country to wear masks until all of our front-line food associates can receive the COVID-19 vaccine,” said a carrier. word for CBS MoneyWatch in an email. The company said last month that it would hire each of the 500,000 workers in 35 states $ 100 for immunization against COVID-19.
Target also complies with its requirement that customers and workers wear masks, including those who have been vaccinated for coronavirus, “in accordance with current CDC guidelines,” a retailer spokesman said in an email. . The retailer makes an exception for those with underlying medical conditions and young children.
Employers who prefer not to wear masks can shop through Target’s contactless options, such as online shopping, the retailer added.
Aldi said it would abide by its national policy, requiring workers and customers to wear masks in more than 2,000 grocery stores in 36 states.
“We are aware of the lifting of the mask mandate in both Texas and Mississippi, where we have storage locations. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been following CDC guidelines and do not intend to make adjustments to our security measures this time, “an Aldi spokesman said in an email.
A Home Depot spokesman said the retailer “requires associates and customers to wear masks in our stores or in any Home Depot unit nationwide. We will continue to follow the CDC guidelines, as we have always done. “
Costco, Trader Joe’s, Walmart and Whole Foods did not respond to requests for comment.
The National Retail Federation has issued a statement reiterating that retail stores are private entities that may refuse entry or service to those who refuse to comply with their policies. Moreover, “It is within their rights to implement and enforce policies that protect the health and safety of their employees and their customers,” a spokesman for the trade group said in a statement.
HEB of San Antonio, Texas, did not respond to a request for comment. But the food chain, which has more than 135,000 employees in more than 400 stores in Texas and Mexico, seemed to have a gentler stance in talking to local media.
“Although there is no longer a state-wide mask order, HEB believes it is important that masks be worn in public spaces until more Texans and our partners have access to the Covid-19 vaccine,” said a word of the HEB to a subsidiary of Fox News. “HEB will continue to require all of our partners and vendors to wear masks while they work, and we urge all customers to wear a mask when they are in our stores.”