The parent company of Southern supermarket chain Winn-Dixie said Monday it is reversing its policy and will now require customers to wear masks at its stores to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
Southeastern Grocers Inc. said the requirement will go into effect next Monday. The company had initially rejected a mask mandate, saying it did not want to put its workers in the position of having to ban customers.
But in a statement, the company headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, said its position had “evolved” and it wanted to more clearly emphasize the importance of its customers', workers’ and communities’ safety. Still, the company said state and federal officials should be responsible for issuing mask requirements.
“We will continue to work with our peers in the retail industry to advocate for this sensible mandate to be passed into law to remove the burden from employers and their heroic frontline associates,” the company said.
Before announcing the policy change, Winn-Dixie, which is popular in Georgia and Florida, faced criticism. Fellow grocers Kroger and Publix already had announced mandatory masks for customers.
The Southeastern grocer has been in business since 1925 and operates nearly 500 stores in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. A spokesperson for Southeastern Grocers initially told the “TODAY” show the company would adhere to local safety mandates rather than issue a storewide rule on masks, which have been suggested by medical experts as the frontline of defense in minimizing the risk of getting coronavirus.
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During the last two weeks, major grocers and retailers have issued statements about their efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus by requiring that all customers wear masks. Stores including Walmart, Kroger, Publix and Kohl’s have issued statements about why the move is necessary at their stores.
“We are taking this extra step now because we recognize additional precautions are needed to protect our country,” Kroger, the nation’s largest supermarket chain, said in a statement last week.
Several on social media responded with disapproval about Winn-Dixie’s initial decision.
Florida has broken records during the last week for its daily total of coronavirus cases climbing at rates never seen before during the pandemic.
Some people applauded the grocer for allowing customers to make their own decisions about mask wearing before the company switched its viewpoint.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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