Several Stores Drop Mask Requirement For Vaccinated Customers

BIRMINGHAM, AL — As more people receive the COVID-19 vaccine nationwide, and new cases dip to the lowest numbers since April of 2020, many national retail chains have lifted their mask orders for people who have been fully vaccinated.

Stores that no longer require vaccinated shoppers to wear masks include:

• CVS
• Walmart
• Target
• Costco
• Trader Joe's
• Starbucks
• Publix

While these stores have all announced that shoppers who have been vaccinated are not required to wear masks while inside their stores, if the store is located in a municipality that has a local mask order, the city ordinance overrides store policy.

In the case of Birmingham, which has a mask ordinance in place through May 24, residents may find out Tuesday what the future holds for mandatory face coverings within the city after a vote by the Birmingham City Council.

Related: Birmingham's Mask Mandate: What Comes Next

The CDC sent out new masking guidelines Thursday and said that fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing except where required by local laws. The CDC considers people to be "fully vaccinated" two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines or two weeks after a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, like the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Stores that have made statement that they are still requiring masks include:

• Home Depot
• Macy's
• Walgreens
• Winn-Dixie.

Alabama's statewide mask order expired April 23, and Gov. Kay Ivey allowed individual municipalities, schools, venues and businesses to decide for themselves their stance on masks. Most businesses and all schools in the state have maintained their mask orders even after the statewide order expired.

Currently, 1.3 million Alabamians (26 percent of those eligible) have been fully vaccinated, and Jefferson County is above the state average in vaccinations, with 32 percent of the county fully vaccinated.