Walmart is forcing all workers to mask, managers to get COVID shots

Walmart is demanding that workers in high-risk areas mask themselves – and will force all managers to get vaccinated by early October.

The mask’s mandate was announced on Friday and immediately implemented. It applies to all store workers, regardless of their immunization status, in counties at high risk for COVID-19, as determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The new policy came three days after the CDC rescinded its May mask guidelines, calling on all people to wear face coverings indoors in about two-thirds of the country where the deadly virus and its Delta variant spread rapidly.

Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, had told workers vaccinated they could unmask in mid-May, after the CDC’s original edict.

Buyers will be asked to wear masks in stores, but will not be required to cover their faces, according to CNBC.

Company officials also said that company staff and the retailer’s executive employees must be vaccinated against the virus by Oct. 4, according to a company memo obtained by the outlet.

“We want to get to a place where we can use our offices and be together safely,” CEO Doug McMillon reportedly wrote. “It’s important to our business, our culture, our speed and our innovation. “

The company also said it will now pay staff in its store and warehouse $ 150 to get vaccinated, double the previous incentive, according to the report.

Walmart employs 2.3 million people worldwide, including 1.6 million in the United States, according to the company.