Following the CDC’s May 13 announcement that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks, a few major food and department store chains said inoculated customers could ditch their face coverings. But in California, the mask rule remains in place until June 15, leading to some mixed signals from local chain stores.
According to a company memo, Walmart dropped its mask requirements for fully vaccinated customers on May 14, and employees could stop masking up starting May 18. However, the company said it would continue to follow more stringent city and state guidelines.
“There may also be local conditions, regulatory changes, or laws that affect our guidance,” the memo said. “We will be communicating with your local store, club, or facility management team as regulations change so they can keep you informed.”
On May 17, the state Public Health Department announced it won’t alter the mask mandate until June 15, meaning California businesses, such as the Walmart in Santa Maria, will have to continue to abide by those rules.
“Masks will also continue to be required by some city and state ordinances, and we will follow those requirements,” the Walmart memo said.
A Santa Maria Walmart representative confirmed that the store will still require masks until June 15. As of May 17, the store still had a large sign outside instructing customers to wear a face covering.
But it appears that the grocery store Trader Joe’s, which is headquartered in Monrovia, California, is not necessarily sticking to state guidelines. The store initially announced May 14 that, like Walmart, it would no longer require masks for vaccinated customers. Trader Joe’s spokesperson Kenya Friend-Daniel did not respond to a request for comment on current mask rules for its California stores.
On May 16, Trader Joe’s Santa Maria had a chalkboard sign outside the entrance stating that “customers who are fully vaccinated are no longer required to wear a mask while shopping.” The next evening, the sign was no longer there.
However, as of May 18, store employees from Arroyo Grande and Santa Maria Trader Joe’s locations confirmed that they are not requiring vaccinated customers to wear a mask. The Arroyo Grande store employee said the store doesn’t require proof: “We’re trusting our customers.”
Santa Barbara County Public Health Department Public Information Officer Jackie Ruiz said local businesses still need to follow state guidelines, regardless of the CDC’s announcement.
“Private businesses must also follow the state mask guidance and cannot be less restrictive at this point in time,” she said in a May 17 email. “Our local Health Officer Order currently defers the masking portion of the order to automatically align with what the state indicates. This means that Santa Barbara County will be following the state in changing guidance locally on June 15, 2021.”
This article appears in May 20-27, 2021.