Covid: Walmart to end mask mandate for vaccinated shoppers, staff

Washington - Employees who are more than two weeks past their vaccination can stop wearing masks from May 18.

US retail giant Walmart on Friday said customers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 no longer have to wear masks in their stores, and staff can do the same starting next week.

“Beginning today, vaccinated customers and members are welcome to shop without a mask, and we will continue to request that non-vaccinated customers and members wear face coverings in our stores and clubs,” the company said in a statement, while adding that masks would still be required where mandated by local authorities.

Employees who are more than two weeks past their vaccination can stop wearing masks from May 18, the company said, and all employees are eligible for a $75 bonus if they prove they have got their jab.

“These are positive developments. We can do this. We’ve been through a lot this year, and now we need to do our part to finish this,” Walmart said in a statement signed by corporate leadership.

The announcement follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s lifting on Thursday of mask-wearing guidance for people who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, a decision that came over a year after it was first issued at the beginning of the pandemic that has killed more than 585,000 people in the United States.