Walmart will require face masks at all U.S. stores

The nation's largest retailer announced the plan Wednesday, citing the recent resurgence in U.S. coronavirus cases and the need for consistency across its operations. The company said about 3,500 of its more than 5,300 Walmart and Sam's Clubs locations already are observing public health mandates within their respective markets.

"We know some people have differing opinions on this topic," said a news release from Dacona Smith and Lance de la Rosa, the chief operating officers of Walmart and Sam's Club, respectively. "We also recognize the role we can play to help protect the health and well-being of the communities we serve by following the evolving guidance of health officials like the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]."

The world's biggest retail trade group lauded Walmart's move and expressed hope that it would be a "tipping point" for the retail industry. Only a handful of national retailers, including Costco, Apple and Best Buy, have blanket policies requiring masks at all of their stores.

"Workers serving customers should not have to make a critical decision as to whether they should risk exposure to infection or lose their jobs because a minority of people refuse to wear masks in order to help stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus," the National Retail Federation trade said in a statement. 

"Shopping in a store is a privilege, not a right. If a customer refuses to adhere to store policies, they are putting employees and other customers at undue risk," the statement continued.

Mixed messaging from local and state governments, and varying business policies, have politicized mask use despite clear evidence that masks can help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, the pathogen that causes covid-19, which has killed at least 133,000 Americans. The number of confirmed U.S. coronavirus infections is approaching 3.5 million. The CDC, which originally downplayed the importance of masks, now calls face coverings "a critical preventive measure" and says they should be worn in public.

The move comes amid a surge in infections, particularly in the South and West, that has overwhelmed hospitals and raised fears of more outbreaks this fall and winter. The United States topped 50,000 new cases in one day for the first time on July 1, shortly after the nation's top infectious-disease expert, Anthony Fauci, warned that the country could expect to see 100,000 new cases a day "if this does not turn around." On Tuesday, the United States reported 62,429 daily new cases.

Economists say nationwide mask requirements could prevent a return to widespread shutdowns and further economic turmoil. Last week, a Goldman Sachs analysis estimated that a nationwide mask requirement could avert more shutdowns and the potential loss of $1 trillion from U.S. gross domestic product.

Walmart said it will station "health ambassadors" near store entrances to remind shoppers without face coverings to comply with the new policy. The company said it will use the next five days to train employees, post signs and prepare shoppers for the new policy.

"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," Walmart said in its release. "According to the CDC, face coverings help decrease the spread of COVID-19, and because the virus can be spread by people who don't have symptoms and don't know they are infected, it's critically important for everyone to wear a face covering in public and social distance."

The patchwork approach to masks and the political tempest surrounding them has left retail workers vulnerable as they enforce mask policies. Some workers say they have been told they cannot refuse service to maskless customers, even if local laws require the wearing of masks. In recent weeks, retail workers have been physically assaulted, even suffering broken limbs and, in the case of a security guard at a Family Dollar store in Michigan, killed while trying to enforce the mask requirement.