Dollar Tree, Family Dollar reverse mask policy again. Now requiring customers wear masks amid COVID-19.
Dollar Tree and Family Dollar have reversed course again about the use of masks amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The two retailers, both part of Dollar Tree, Inc., are now requiring shoppers wear masks like most of the nation's largest retailers. Initially, the company started requiring masks in early July but soon after changed the policy to "request" face coverings in stores where state and local ordinances were not in effect.
"To best help protect one another, and in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we are requiring all Associates, customers and vendors to wear face coverings when inside our stores," the current mask policy on its coronavirus updates page said Sunday.
Unemployment benefits: Trump extends unemployment benefits through executive order but cuts aid to $400 per week: What we know
Need Clorox wipes?: Disinfecting wipes shortage could last into 2021 amid coronavirus pandemic
Dollar Tree officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment and it was unknown when the revised policy went into effect.
As of May 2, the company says it operated 15,370 stores across 48 states and in Canada.
Retailers requiring masks isn't new – especially in areas with local orders – but few businesses had embraced mandates until July. Shoppers have been required to wear masks to enter Costco and Apple stores across the nation since early May.
In July, Walmart, Kroger, Best Buy started requiring masks along with other businesses. Target, Old Navy and McDonald's started requiring masks nationwide Aug. 1.
Dollar Tree and Family Dollar aren't the first stores to change decisions about mask policies.
Southeastern Grocers, parent company of Winn-Dixie, BI-LO and Harveys Supermarkets, started requiring masks July 27 after previously announcing its stores weren't mandating face coverings during the pandemic to avoid "undue friction" between customers and staffers.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Masks required: Family Dollar, Dollar Tree requiring face coverings
