Publix, Walmart To Require Face Masks For All Employees

Publix and Walmart will require all employees to wear face masks with coronavirus cases on the rise.

Walmart announced the mandate will start immediately, while the Lakeland-based grocer said it will require all employees to wear face masks starting Aug. 2.

Both will require face masks regardless of whether their employees have received a COVID vaccine.

Their decision is based on recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control And Prevention that recommends people in areas of high transmission wear masks indoors regardless of their vaccination status.

Publix did not mandate that customers wear masks but does “encourage all to do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19,” including social distancing, according to a post on its website.

Walmart stated the same on its website, while also saying it would double its incentive for employees to receive a vaccine, to $150.

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