If you go shopping this weekend, get back in the habit of taking your mask with you.
Signs are going back up in-store entrances in Dallas County telling shoppers that masks are now required under the order of the Dallas County Commissioners Court.
Retailers and shopping centers said they support bringing back face coverings, adding that they continued to require their employees to wear masks even after Gov. Greg Abbott made them voluntary on April 27.
A Central Market spokeswoman told commissioners at a hearing Friday morning that the grocer could impose its own mask rule for customers but would rather do it with the support of local authorities.
“While we can certainly make the rules for our business similar to ‘No Shoes, No Shirt’ — it is important for the business community and government to partner on this critical public health message,” said Mabrie Jackson, Central Market’s director of public affairs.
Home Depot has been following local and nationwide mandates all along, but a spokeswoman said the company can’t be the enforcer other than for its own employees.
“We have not required stores to police local mandates because it can be dangerous to put our associates in that position,” said Home Depot spokesperson Margaret Smith.
There have been incidents over masks with customers in Texas stores that put employees in difficult situations, said Gary Huddleston, a consultant with the Texas Retailers Association, which represents small retailers, supermarket operators, and the major U.S. chains, including Lowe’s, Macy’s and Nordstrom. The industry wants the rules to be the same across small and large retailers, he said.
“Our motivation was to have a consistent rule so the customer knows, and we can avoid conflict at the front door,” Huddleston said.
Nationwide, dangerous incidents have arisen when customers object to wearing masks. The worst case was in early May when a security guard was shot and killed at a Family Dollar store in Flint, Mich.
Huddleston, Jackson, and AT&T’s John Stephens were among the business representatives who spoke in favor of the reinstatement before the commissioners' court, which voted 3-2 on Friday to bring back the mask requirement.
Federal, state, and local health officials strongly recommend the use of masks or facial coverings in all public spaces as a proven way to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
“Many COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic, and as Texans helping Texans, we wear masks to keep each other and our families safe,” Jackson said. “Social distancing, wearing masks, proper handwashing and sanitization are all things we do to help keep Texans healthy.”
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