Face masks to be required to enter, shop at Walmart

Starting on August 12, masks will be mandatory at Walmart.

Walmart Canada announced Thursday that face masks will be required when visiting any of their stores across the country. As of Wednesday, August 12, all customers and all Walmart employees will be asked to wear masks when in the store, whether their local governments require them to or not.

“Safety continues to be Walmart’s number one priority and we will continue to take measures necessary to ensure the well-being of our customers and associates,” says Felicia Fefer, the company’s Manager of Corporate Affairs.

Reports from Health Canada indicate that proper face coverings can reduce the spread of the wearer’s own infectious respiratory droplets. With over 60 per cent of Walmart’s 400 Canadian stores already in regions that require masks to be worn, Fefer says her company felt it prudent to make a blanket decision to bring more consistency across their store network.

“We trust that customers in the rest of our stores where we are initiating this the policy will respect and follow it and will bring their own face coverings when they shop."

All Walmart branches, meanwhile, will continue following safety measures already in place including.
• Increased cleaning
• Wellness checks and temperature checks for all associates at the start of each shift.
• Limiting the number of customers shopping in the store at one time.
• Cleaning shopping carts
• Encouraging regular handwashing and workspace cleanliness
• Installing plexiglass dividers at registers, customer service desks, and in pharmacies.
• Introducing floor markings and one-way aisles to create physical distancing.