Chain Stores Ditch Masks, But In CA They May Have To Wait

CALIFORNIA — Trader Joe's, Starbucks and at least a dozen other chain retailers had already announced plans to forgo mask rules when California dropped the news Monday that it would hold onto its mask mandate for another month.

California will align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidance on masks — but not until June 15, the day Gov. Gavin Newsom has targeted to lift most coronavirus restrictions, state officials said.

"This four-week period will give Californians time to prepare for this change," Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state's health secretary, told reporters Monday.

The California Department of Public Health confirmed with Patch on Tuesday that "indoor settings outside of one's home, including public transportation and schools, face coverings continue to be required regardless of vaccination status," until June 15.

Counties, businesses and employers can keep mask requirements in place after June 15 if they want, Ghaly said. The state's workplace safety agency — Cal OSHA — will meet later this week to consider changes to its coronavirus rules and set standards for workplaces.

An important question came up in Monday's news conference: Will Californians have to show proof of vaccination to walk into a store without a mask? State officials shied away from the question.

"This is exactly why we're giving California time to prepare and think through the implementation of this important new set of guidelines from the CDC," Ghaly said.

In the meantime, retailers will have to wait for the state to release guidance on how to welcome maskless shoppers back into their California locations.

The state will work with businesses and employers in coming weeks to draw up guidance for how sectors can ensure the mandate is followed, Ghaly said.

"We do plan to continue to work with ... business sectors, employers throughout the state, on exactly how this can be done to ensure that those ... without masks are vaccinated and making sure that we continue to provide a high degree of protection to California," he said.

Retailers such as Trader Joe's and Costco have already confirmed that they will not ask customers to show a vaccine card and will rely on an honor system instead, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Walmart will ask its employees about vaccinations as part of a health screening process, the Times added.

Here is a list of retailers with locations in California that have announced plans to relax mask rules for vaccinated shoppers, according to USA Today.

• Sam's Club.
• Sprout Farmers Market.
• Starbucks.
• Target.
• Trader Joe's.
• Walmart.
• Aldi.
• Best Buy.
• BJ's Wholesale Club.
• Costco.
• CVS Pharmacy.
• The Home Depot.
• Kohl's.
• Lowe's.
• Macy's.

California has one of the lowest positivity rates in the nation, so the state will be able to forgo its mask mandate for vaccinated residents in mid-June, Ghaly said.

"California has made amazing progress in our fight against COVID-19," he added.

California is apparently doing better than most of the country — with a positivity rate of 0.9 percent. But 18 other states, including New York and Colorado, have already lifted their statewide mask mandates, according to data from AARP.

Neighboring Oregon and Washington saw the coronavirus surge a few weeks ago, and their mask mandates remained in place as of Tuesday.

Just over 39 percent of residents in California are fully vaccinated, according to Times data. More than 34 million vaccines have been administered in the Golden State.

California's decision came down days after the CDC relaxed its mask mandate.

"The CDC guidelines are confusing people," Dr. John Swartzberg, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, Berkeley, told Patch in an email Tuesday. "They took a big leap when they should have taken steps. I think Newsom made a good decision to defer following the CDC guidelines until June 15. By then, we'll have a much better idea as to the safer course of action.

"People should act based upon their comfort level," he added. "For me, I'm not going into a public space indoors without a mask on. Perhaps by June 15, I will be more comfortable doing so. Still, we are lucky to be in [California] where the percent positivity is so low."

READ MORE: CA Mask Mandate Officially Ending June 15