Keeping a Business Safe without a Mask Mandate Requires a Nuanced Approach
All remaining U.S. states with COVID-related public mask requirements have recently lifted them, and in mid-April, a district judge in Florida ended a federal mask mandate on trains, planes, buses or other public transport. For the first time in about two years, consumers can shop, exercise, travel, work and lounge in public spaces without wearing a mask, despite recent surges in COVID infections.
Since the onset of the pandemic, most restaurants, grocery stores and retail shops have followed state and national guidelines by requiring masks. But as these mandates have been lifted, companies have become responsible for determining and communicating their mask policies to customers, and a number have continued to recommend that employees and consumers mask up to prevent the spread of COVID.
There are several reasons companies may still wish to have a store mask policy: First, the virus remains highly transmissible and unpredictable;…
