Walmart and Trader Joe’s became the first two national chains to lift their corporate-wide mask mandates after the CDC said fully-vaccinated people can ditch the face coverings, news outlets report.
According to CNBC, Walmart will only require masks for its employees and customers in locations that have local mask mandates in place. Fully-vaccinated customers will no longer have to wear masks as of Friday, while employees can stop masking up next Tuesday. Employees, however, will have to verify before each shift that they are feeling well and that they’ve been vaccinated, the company said. The change will impact the company’s Walmart and Sam’s Club stores.
Trader Joe’s announced earlier Friday that fully-vaccinated customers will not have to wear masks in their stores, USA Today reported. At this time, however, employees will be required to still wear masks.
Trader Joe’s has said it will not verify that customers entering its stores without a mask are fully vaccinated. Walmart did not announce if it will check on customers’ vaccination status.