[ad_1]
Masks are returning to Walmart and Home Depot as more retailers close pandemic hatches in response to the delta variant.
Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff PhotographerMasks are returning to Walmart and Home Depot as more retailers close pandemic hatches in response to the delta variant.
After limiting requests for masks to unvaccinated customers in May, Kroger is also reviving an earlier policy to “strongly encourage” masks – whether employees and customers are vaccinated or not. HEB has not updated its mask policies since the increase in delta variants, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Retailers are once again grappling with mask policies as the country faces an increase in COVID-19 cases spurred by a more virulent strain capable of infecting even those who have been vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control updated their mask guidelines last week, urging everyone to mask themselves in areas with high transmission rates, which now include much of the country.
The Home Depot said Monday it would once again require all associates, contractors and salespeople to wear masks inside its stores and facilities and demand the same from customers. Walmart said in a statement it was updating its mask policy to align with the latest CDC guidelines recommending people wear masks indoors.
“We continue to monitor with deep concern the evolution of the pandemic and the spread of the variants,” he said, “in particular the Delta variant”.
Twitter.com/amandadrane
[ad_2]
Source link