Publix joins a growing list of retailers including Costco, Target, Trader Joe's, and Walmart, who have confirmed that they will provide the option for fully-vaccinated customers and store employees to go mask-free while working and shopping.
And like other retailers which have introduced the updated policy, and in accordance with CDC guidelines, individuals who are not fully vaccinated are required to use face coverings over their noses and mouths while inside any Publix store.
The updated rule follows recently-announced CDC guidelines which state that fully-vaccinated individuals can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.
The news comes at a time when many consumers have incorporated online shopping into their routines in place of physical trips to the grocery store. According to a recent Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey of 1,811 US adults, online grocery shopping sales increased 43% year on year to $9.3bn in March 2021.
Publix currently operates 1,270 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia and employs more than 225,000 associates.
