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Supermarket chain Winn-Dixie will require customers to wear face masks while shopping in its stores beginning July 27 amid a surge in coronavirus cases across the country, parent company Southeastern Grocers said Monday.
Winn-Dixie operates approximately 500 grocery stores in five southeastern states: Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Southeastern Grocers sparked a mixed reaction after initially saying it would not require masks in stores because they are a source of conflict between customers and employees.
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“Most of our stores are under a state or local government mandate, and given the continued increase in positive COVID cases in our communities across the Southeast, beginning Monday, July 27, we will require customers to wear masks to help reduce the spread of the disease, “said Joe Caldwell, director of corporate communications and government affairs for Southeastern Grocers.” Our communities are counting on us, and we count on our customers to show kindness as we go through these difficult times together. “
Winn-Dixie’s father joined several national retailers that have issued mandatory face mask policies for shoppers in recent days. Walmart, Whole Foods, Publix, Starbucks, and Costco are among the companies that require customers to wear masks.
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Southeastern Grocers operates Winn-Dixie and three other brands with stores in seven states. The mask command applies to all of your stores.
“We believe the application should apply to our elected officials at the state and federal levels, and we will continue to work with our peers in the retail industry to advocate for this sensitive mandate to become law to remove the burden on employers and their heroic associates of first line ”, added the company.
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The Washington Post reported earlier this week that Winn-Dixie would not require facial masks. In its initial statement on that decision, Southeastern Grocers said it did not want “to put our associates in a position to navigate interpersonal conflict or prohibit customers from shopping in our stores.”
Winn-Dixie has taken other precautions during the pandemic, including installing plexiglass partitions in cash registers and daily temperature controls for employees.
Public health experts have been calling for months for the public to wear face masks to decrease the spread of COVID-19.
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