Walmart Stores Requiring Customers to Wear Face Masks

Walmart is joining several national chains in requiring masks in their retail stores.

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(undated) - Walmart will require customers to wear masks in its more than 5,000 stores to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the company announced Wednesday.

Beginning July 20, the nation’s largest retailer will mandate face coverings in all its stores, including Sam’s Club. Complimentary face masks will be supplied by the company for customers who come in without one, or more masks can be purchased in the stores.

“While we’re certainly not the first business to require face coverings, we know this is a simple step everyone can take for their safety and the safety of others in our facilities,” the company wrote in a joint statement from Walmart Chief Operating Officer Dacona Smith and Sam’s Club Chief Operating Officer Lance de la Rosa.

Walmart is joining several national chains in requiring masks in their retail stores. In May Costco began the facemasks requirement.

Even though there is not a nationwide mandate to wear masks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged people to wear cloth face coverings while in public. This measure has been shown to help stem the spread of the coronavirus, according to a study that was published Tuesday.