While Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas will soon join more than a dozen other U.S. states with no statewide mask requirements, many major retailers and employers are not ready to ignore mandatory face coverings amid a pandemic that killed more than 1,900 Americans on Thursday alone.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey is the latest to signal masks will soon be optional in her state. Kay on Thursdays expanded the state mask requirement until April 9, at which point she drops it and leaves the decision to individuals.
The Republican state leader’s announcement came two days after Texas and Mississippi governors said they would waive mask mandates and enable companies to operate at full capacity
In decisions hit like ‘Neanderthal thinking’ by President Joe Biden, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, stated, “We make sure that all businesses and families in Texas have the freedom to determine their own destinies.” Meanwhile, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said he “stopped telling people what they can and cannot do” by removing mask mandates in the state.
Despite their state policies, residents of Alabama, Texas, and Mississippi will still have to wear face masks if they want to enter many – but not all – grocery stores and other major retail chains. Those retailers, including Kroger, Target, and Walgreens, cited guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to continue to demand masks and take other measures to protect employees and consumers from the virus.
Albertsons Companies, one of the country’s largest supermarket and pharmacy chains, initially said it would drop the requirement for customers to wear face masks in its stores and that only the 325,000 employees should still cover their faces. But the company revised its plans Friday.
“Our frontline workers will not have full access to the vaccine. Subsequently, our Texas stores and facilities will continue to require masks for employees, vendors and customers regardless of the mask mandate that is lifted,” a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement. , which refers to the Texas governor’s order, which will take effect Wednesday, March 10.
Albertsons operates stores in 34 states and the District of Columbia under the banner of Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs. The company also operates more than 1,700 pharmacies in its supermarkets and is one of the 21 national chains and independent networks participating in a federal program to improve access to COVID-19 vaccines in the US
Other participants in the federal effort are unwilling to let customers enter their stores and pharmacies without masks.
The Magnolia pharmacy in Magnolia, Texas, will continue to need masks “for the comfort of my staff and patients,” explains owner Steven Hoffart, who noted that the nature of the business means that it often involves sick people walking in. “It’s not really about COVID, it’s for the stomach flu, flu, any illness, the cough, cold – if I can keep it from spreading to my staff, that’s the biggest reason we’re asking patients to wear masks,” said Hoffart.
As a member of AmerisourceBergen’s Good Neighbor Pharmacy Network, Hoffart’s pharmacy currently immunizes between 100 and 150 people a day with federal and state COVID-19 vaccines, an exhausting but joyful operation he describes as running a second act.
Walgreens to carry on with kind memories
“There is currently no change in the Company’s mandate policy or current safety protocols in place at our stores or work sites to protect our customers and team members. We follow current CDC and OSHA guidelines regarding safety protocols , a Walgreens spokesperson said in an email.
The drugstore chain’s policy has always been to “ gently remind customers who shop without a mask of the requirement, but out of concern for the safety of our employees, we do not deter these customers from shopping, ” added a spokesperson. referring to the hostile reactions that store associates sometimes face when trying to enforce mask rules on customers.
Another major pharmacy, CVS Health, will also maintain its face-covering policies in stores across the country, with a CVS Health spokesperson citing “strong scientific evidence that masks help prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
“If a customer is not wearing a mask or face cover, we will refer them to our signage and ask them to protect themselves and those around them by listening to the experts and responding to the call to wear a face cover the spokesman added. . “For security reasons, our employees should avoid escalating confrontations with non-compliant customers and instead 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 frontline grocery workers can receive the COVID-19 vaccine,” a spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch in an e-mail. -mail. The company said last month it would give each of its 500,000 employees in 35 states $ 100 to get immunized against COVID-19.
Target also insists on requiring customers and employees to wear masks, including those vaccinated against the coronavirus, “in line with current CDC guidelines,” a retailer spokesperson said in an email. The retailer makes an exception for people with underlying medical conditions and young children.
Patrons who prefer not to wear masks can shop through Target’s contactless options, such as online shopping, the retailer added.
Aldi said it would adhere to its national policy that requires its employees and customers to wear masks in its more than 2,000 supermarkets in 36 states.
“We are aware of the removal of mask mandates in both Texas and Mississippi, where we have retail locations. times, ”said an Aldi spokesperson in an email.
A Home Depot spokesperson said the retailer “requires employees and customers to wear masks in our stores or at any other Home Depot facility across the country. We will continue to follow CDC guidelines, as we have done all along. . “
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 stores are private entities that can deny access or service to those who refuse to abide by their policies. Furthermore, “It is within their right to implement and enforce policies that protect the health and safety of their employees and their customers,” a spokesperson for the trade group said in a statement.
HEB from San Antonio, Texas did not respond to a request for comment. But the supermarket chain, which employs more than 135,000 people in more than 400 stores in Texas and Mexico, seemed to be taking a softer stance in talking to a local media outlet.
“While there is no longer a statewide warrant for masks, HEB believes it is important that masks are worn in public areas until more Texans and our partners have access to the Covid-19 vaccine,” an HEB spokesperson told a reporter. Fox News affiliate. “HEB will still require all our partners and salespeople to wear masks on the job, and we urge all customers to wear masks in our stores.”