By Haley Messenger -
NBC News
Guidelines issued last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the use of masks have divided retailers and their customers. Some are in favor of purchases being made without a mask, as is now recommended for fully vaccinated people, while
others prefer to maintain the previous norms and also social distancing.
The CDC announced that fully vaccinated people can leave their masks at home as long as state authorities and businesses allow it.
So far, Home Depot, Target, Starbucks, Trader Joe's, Walmart, Publix, and other companies have adopted this new policy.
But it is not clear who should ensure that people who are not wearing a mask in these shops are actually vaccinated and therefore do not pose a risk to workers and customers.
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May 18, 202113: 36
"It's their business. They can do whatever they want," says Luis Villalovos outside a store in Virginia,
"if they don't want to enforce the mandate to use the masks, it's their decision."
Although the use of face masks is recommended for clients who are not vaccinated, the rest "
are not required to wear masks in Home Depot stores
, except when required by state or local ordinances," explained Sara Gorman, a spokeswoman for the
Home Depot.
chain of shops.
Trader Joe's announced the same thing.
"We do not require proof of vaccination because we trust our customers to follow CDC guidelines. At this time, our staff members are still required to wear masks," said Kenya Friend-Daniel, a company spokeswoman.
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Walmart and BJ's Wholesale Club also allow vaccinated customers to remove their masks if state and local regulations allow it.
Vaccinated employees can do the same from Tuesday.
"
Some associates may choose to continue wearing the masks
and, as part of our respect for the individual, we must all support their right to do so," Walmart said in a note sent to its employees on Friday.
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Retailers that go the other way and uphold the mandates of wearing face masks include companies like Walgreens, Rite Aid and TJX Companies, the parent organization of stores like HomeGoods, TJ Maxx and Marshalls.
"As we conduct COVID testing and vaccinations,
we have decided to maintain our current policy of wearing face coverings for the time being,
" said Walgreens spokesman Fraser Engerman.
"The safety of our team members and customers is our highest priority and will continue to guide our decision-making process," he added.
Rite Aid, which also administers COVID-19 vaccines, said Friday it will maintain its mask policy until it has "clearer guidance on state and local mandates."
[Why do many people not want to remove their mask despite CDC guidance?]
TJX Companies is "monitoring this matter closely" and for now will continue to require that employees and customers cover their faces in US stores, spokesman Andrew Mastrangelo said.
The diverse reactions of the companies drove the same attitude in the customers.
On Monday, Liz Eales, who is fully vaccinated, bought without wearing masks for the first time in more than a year, in Virginia.
When asked if she is concerned about unvaccinated people entering stores that have relaxed their demands on face masks, she said no: "At some point, we have to let people take responsibility for their own decisions, and I'm ready. to take that step. "
Others are more skeptical.
"I think the people who are stopping using them are really irresponsible. The pandemic is still going strong. I think there is a lot of evidence that we can't just be lax and stop wearing the masks," said Victor Baham, from New Jersey, "I feel like some people are going to lie about vaccination. There's really no mandate that requires you to have proof of that, so that worries me. "
Yolanda Sanchez of Brooklyn, New York, said that she will wear face masks despite policy changes and that even if she were vaccinated, which she has not done, that would not change anything: "Until this is really over, I will continue to wear them."
