Partly True: Walmart does not require customers to wear masks

By: Asavari Sharma
July 25 2020

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While Walmart made a rule requiring customers to wear masks, they find it difficult to enforce and are hence allowing customers to shop without masks Walmart and other major retailers made headlines last week with a new requirement for customers to wear masks in their US stores. But the new rules can only be enforced so far without a unifying federal mandate. Retailers like Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's, Walgreens, CVS, and others say they still won't prohibit customers who refuse to wear a mask from shopping in stores. According to them, the issue is the ugly confrontations between angry customers and employees, which they want to avoid. Violent incidents, including shootings, have been reported over making customers wear masks in a dollar store, Costco, and Target. Retail Industry Leaders Association which represents Walmart and others, wrote to the National Governors Association on July 6, saying that public officials should issue uniform mask mandates across all 50 states. However, Walmart said that 65% of its more than 5,000 US stores and Sam's Clubs were in areas where there is a government mandate on face coverings - yet they are still allowing customers to shop without masks since they feel they cannot physically block customers. Some tactics they are using are making masks available at the entrance. Walmart has said that while they do try to find solutions for customers who are not wearing face coverings, from time to time, they do need to call the police for assistance if customers become belligerent. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.