Nervous workers struggle to adjust to new mask policies
NEW YORK (AP) — An abrupt relaxation of mask policies has left workers at some retail and grocery stores reeling as they try to sort out what the new environment means for their own safety and relationship with customers.
Kroger, the country's largest grocery chain, became one of the latest to announce that, starting Thursday, workers and customers can stop wearing masks in states where mandates are no longer in effect. Other companies that have adopted similar changes include Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Macy's, Costco, Home Depot, Trader Joe's and Target, following updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control.
Some workers have taken to social media to cheer, but many others protested. Some don’t trust customers — or their co-workers — to be truthful about their vaccination status since most companies are not requiring proof. Others fear they will be judged if they leave their own masks on, even though their reasons for doing so are varied.
William Stratford, 29, won’t be fully vaccinated until next month, but shoppers and co-workers at the home improvement store where he works have been coming in without a mask even before his store relaxed mask guidelines this week.
He has complained to management and eats lunch in his car to avoid mask-less people in the breakroom. He gets stares from shoppers and co-workers.
“I know for a fact people have a negative opinion of me,” said Stratford, who asked that the store where he works not be named out of fear of reprisal. “It’s become a divisive issue in the workplace.”
The CDC last week said fully vaccinated people — those who are two weeks past their final dose of a COVID-19 vaccine — can stop wearing masks outdoors and in most indoor settings. The guidance still calls for people who are not fully vaccinated to...
