King Soopers Ending Mask Requirement For Fully Vaccinated Customers And Workers
(CBS4) -- Starting on Thursday, King Soopers and City Market stores will no longer require customers, employees and vendors to wear face masks -- if they are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Kroger announced the new policy on Wednesday.
"Starting May 20, fully vaccinated customers and most fully vaccinated associates
no longer need to wear a mask in our facilities," officials stated. Employees in pharmacy and clinic locations will be required to continue wearing a mask, based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control for healthcare settings.
Non-vaccinated associates will still be required to wear a mask.
"We request that non-vaccinated customers continue to wear a mask," officials stated.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which represents more than 22,000 Colorado frontline workers, cautioned against the growing trend of retailers ending mask requirements for vaccinated shoppers and employees.
UFCW International President Marc Perrone released the following statement: "America's grocery workers are still facing daily COVID risks on the frontlines so that all our families can put food on the table as the pandemic continues. These essential frontline workers have been forced to play mask police throughout the pandemic with many shoppers not following COVID safety standards. Now, they are being asked to be the vaccination police.
"As the union for essential food and retail workers on the frontlines across the country, UFCW is strongly urging retailers not to add to the confusion and to assure customers that the vast majority of people in their stores will still be masked. Keeping retail mask rules in place for most people will help us protect each other and our families. Before the new CDC mask guidance, we knew that unmasked shoppers were ignoring COVID safety measures and likely unvaccinated, so we knew to keep our distance if we were concerned. Now it is virtually impossible to tell who is and is not vaccinated.
"With more than 200 million Americans still not fully vaccinated, now is not the time to let our guard down. Given the uncertainty we face after the new mask guidance, it's more urgent than ever for the Department of Labor to issue an OSHA emergency temporary standard that provides clear-cut COVID workplace safety rules that are easy for businesses to follow to keep workers and shoppers safe."
Several large retail chains announced this week that they are easing their mask requirements, including Target, Home Depot and CVS. Those three chains issued statements saying face coverings are still encouraged and recommended for those who are not fully vaccinated.
