The masks are back.
On Monday, major retailers and restaurant chains such as Home Depot Inc. and McDonald’s Corp., said they would require workers to wear masks in many of their stores, restaurants and offices regardless of vaccination status.
Some municipalities and local officials also said Monday they would start to impose new indoor mask mandates on residents in response to new federal health guidelines and rising U.S. Covid-19 cases.
The moves are the clearest signs yet that the coronavirus pandemic continues to be a challenge for U.S. business, and that employers are contending with ramifications of the fast-spreading Delta variant for employees and customers alike.
Last week,
Walmart Inc.
and
Walt Disney Co.
said they would mandate vaccines for some of their workers. Other firms delayed office reopening and some that are back open, such as
Citigroup Inc.,
said they would require staff to wear masks inside offices regardless of their vaccination status.
The shift followed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation last week that vaccinated people resume wearing masks in some indoor spaces, reversing its earlier guidance. On Friday, the CDC said vaccinated people may spread the Delta variant.
The latest statistics from the CDC show a 64.1% increase in Covid-19 cases over the week ended July 30 compared with the previous week, or an average of 66,606 cases a day. The CDC reported a current seven-day average of 6,071 new admissions of hospital patients with Covid-19, a 44% increase over the average for the week of July 16-22. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky previously has said that more than 97% of Covid-19 patients entering the hospital nationwide were unvaccinated.
It remains to be seen how much the recent jump in U.S. cases and heightened concerns affect consumer sentiment, promoting people to rethink travel plans or their willingness to dine out or shop in stores, which could dent rebounding sales for many businesses.
Local officials in California, Louisiana and other states said they would begin to require people to wear masks indoors starting this week, while New York City officials are strongly recommending that residents wear face coverings indoors.
Many businesses are changing their…
Read More: Masks Are Back On at Home Depot, McDonald’s and Target