Walmart and Sam’s Club will start requiring masks at stores and clubs nationwide starting Monday, July 20, the company announced Wednesday.
The move is in response to the spike in COVID-19 cases across the country.
“We know some people have differing opinions on this topic. We also recognize the role we can play to help protect the health and well-being of the communities we serve by following the evolving guidance of health officials like the CDC,” the retailers’ chief operating officers said in a blog post Wednesday.
Currently, about 65 percent of Walmart’s more than 5,000 stores and clubs are located in areas where there is some form of government mandate on face coverings.
“To help bring consistency across stores and clubs, we will require all shoppers to wear a face covering starting Monday, July 20. This will give us time to inform customers and members of the changes, post signage, and train associates on the new protocols,” Walmart U.S. Chief Operating Officer Dacona Smith and Sam’s Club Chief Operating Officer Lance de la Rosa said in the joint statement.
Smith and de la Rosa cited CDC guidance that face coverings help decrease the spread of COVID-19. “Because the virus can be spread by people who don’t have symptoms and don’t know they are infected, it’s critically important for everyone to wear a face covering in public and social distance.”
How it will be enforced
Walmart will station ‘Health Ambassadors’ near store entrances to remind those without a mask of the stores’ new requirements. These ambassadors “will receive special training to help make the process as smooth as possible for customers,” the statement reads.
All stores will be limited to a single entrance.
At Sam’s Clubs, associates at the entrance will follow the same process with members, reminding them of the requirement to wear a face covering. Complimentary masks will be provided if the member doesn’t have one. Or members may purchase masks in the club.
Mindful that it may not be possible for everyone to wear a face covering, corporate officials say associates will be trained on how to deal with those exceptions “to help reduce friction for the shopper and make the process as easy as possible for everyone.”
Wednesday’s announcement comes two days after Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said a mask mandate in stores nationwide was “obviously something that’s on our minds.”
Best Buy and Starbucks today began requiring consumers nationwide to wear masks in their stores as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise.
