By now, we’ve all heard about the CDC’s announcement that fully vaccinated people won’t be required to wear masks outdoors or even indoors.
As a result of the announcement, there are many restaurants and other businesses that are restricting their mask requirements in order to cater to their fully vaccinated clients. Two of the businesses to make announcements of their own are Starbucks and Chipotle.
The Starbucks website shared that as of Monday, May 17, fully vaccinated customers who stop inside for a coffee will now have the option of wearing a mask or not. However, this is only an option whenever they’re not required by law.
According to the website, face masks are still required for staff as they are, by law, still mandated to double-mask during their shifts as well as wear gloves if they choose to. Starbucks further announced that indoor restrooms will remain closed to the public in all locations that still have closed cafes.
Close behind was Chipotle, who also announced that masks are optional at all their locations. The Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for the company, Laurie Schalow, shared with Restaurant Business that as of Monday, May 17, those who visit their locations are free to choose whether or not they wear a mask. However, workers will still be required by law to wear masks.
Starbucks and Chipotle are both just two of a multitude of businesses on an ever-growing list that are making masks optional. Some of the retailers include Trader Joe’s, Target, Costco, Walmart, and CVS. Surprisingly, McDonald’s still requires customers to wear masks indoors since the company is still deciding what they want their mask rules to be.
While the list of places that don’t require masks might be getting more diverse, keep in mind that there are still people who still don’t feel comfortable going out in public without them, so just remember to be kind and don’t give any mask wearers a hard time. We’re all doing our best to stay safe as we move towards life the way it was before COVID-19.