Masking up at a store? What Trader Joe's, Ralphs, CVS, Walgreens and other retailers are saying
Will you have to keep masking up at your favorite retailers?
It depends.
Trader Joe's will no longer require fully vaccinated shoppers to don masks, making it one of the first major businesses to change its face-covering policy after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidelines Thursday.
The Monrovia-headquartered supermarket updated the COVID-19 guidance on its website Friday to say it continues to review federal, state and local health advisories and where it makes sense, to adjust efforts.
"We encourage customers to follow the guidance of health officials, including, as appropriate, CDC guidelines that advise customers who are fully vaccinated are not required to wear masks while shopping," the store said on its website. Hours later, the messaging was no longer visible on the site.
Attempts to reach the national supermarket chain, which has stores in 43 states were unsuccessful.
The change was announced one day after the CDC dramatically loosened its masking requirements for those are who fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Under the new federal guidelines, anyone who is two weeks or more past their final vaccination can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without a mask or physical distancing.
However, the changes don't immediately alter the mask rules in California, where Trader Joe's has more than 130 locations.
Several other national retailers, including Home Depot, announced Friday that they would be keeping their mask policies.
Kroger, which operates Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores, and CVS said in statements that they are reviewing their practices, but are requiring masks to be worn by employees and customers for the time being.
"We are currently reevaluating our position on masks given the CDC's new guidance. Until that evaluation is complete, the existing company policies on face coverings and maintaining social distance in stores and clinics remain in effect," Joe Goode, a CVS spokesperson, said in an email.
He added that the "safety of employees, customers and vendors will continue to guide our decision-making process."
Kroger is trying to incentivize vaccinations among retail employees by offering $100 to those who get them. The company also said it would ask for employee input before altering its mask rules.
"As we have throughout the pandemic, we are reviewing current safety practices, the CDC's latest guidance and soliciting feedback from associates to guide the next phase of our policy," Kroger said in a statement provided by spokeswoman Sheila Regehr.
Home Depot and Walgreens are also keeping their masking requirements in place, the retailers said through respective spokespeople.
"We have decided to keep our current face covering policy in place for the time being," Walgreens spokesman Campbell O'Connor said in an email. "The safety of our team members and customers is our top priority and will continue to guide our decision process."
