Costco, Walmart, Publix: U.S. Stores Drop Masks For Vaccinated

ACROSS AMERICA — A growing number of U.S. retailers no longer require fully vaccinated customers to wear masks in stores following new guidance released this past week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The new guidelines are lauded as a major step toward returning to pre-pandemic life in the United States, giving fully vaccinated people the green light to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings, provided state and local laws allow it.

The CDC still calls for mask-wearing in crowded indoor settings such as planes, buses, trains, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters.

Full mask recommendations from the CDC are available on the agency’s website.

Less than a day later, U.S. retailers followed suit, announcing they too would no longer require masks for fully vaccinated customers and workers.

As of midday Saturday, the following stores have dropped their mask requirements, according to multiple reports:

• Walmart
• Sam’s Club
• Starbucks
• Trader Joe’s
• Costco
• Publix
• Sprouts

In addition, Target announced Monday that it will no longer require customers and employees who are fully vaccinated to wear face coverings in stores.

In all cases, masks will still be required if mandated by state or local laws.

Meanwhile, these stores are still requiring mask, according to a USA Today report:

• Albertsons
• Apple
• CVS
• Home Depot
• Kroger
• Macy's
• Meijer
• Walgreens
• Winn-Dixie

More than a dozen states weren’t far behind retailers, opting to also ditch mask mandates for the vaccinated, according to a report by The Associated Press.

Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Ohio, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Kentucky, Washington, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, North Carolina, Kansas, Colorado and Rhode Island have all announced plans to fall in line with the CDC guidance either immediately or in the coming weeks, The AP reported. Some cities, including New Orleans and Anchorage, did the same.

Other states including California, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Hawaii and Massachusetts, and cities such as Minneapolis and St. Paul, have kept mask rules in place for now.

“We're frankly not there yet,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said.

And Hawaii Gov. David Ige said, “We are unable to determine who is vaccinated and who is not vaccinated. The best mitigation measure is for everyone to wear a mask.”

While some Americans are lauding the rollbacks, not everyone is celebrating.

The changes are prompting labor groups and others to warn that employees at stores, restaurants, bars and other businesses could be left exposed to the coronavirus from customers and could be forced into the unwanted role of “vaccination police.”

Lisa LaBruno, senior executive vice president at the Retail Industry Leaders Association, said in a statement to USA Today the CDC guidance "creates ambiguity for retailers because it fails to fully align with state and local orders."

She also urged everyone to continue following mask and social distancing guidelines.

LaBruno urged customers to follow safety protocols, including wearing a mask and social distancing.

"Front-line workers deserve this respect,” LaBruno said.