Walmart announced last week that as of August 12th masks will be mandatory in stores for all staff and customers.

In an email statement from Walmart's Corporate Affairs, they stated that "Safety continues to be Walmart’s number one priority and we will continue to take measures necessary to ensure the well-being of our customers and associates."

In addition, they stated "In addition, over 60 percent of our more than 400 stores are in regions of the country where there is some form of local government mandate on face coverings. For this reason, and to help bring more consistency across our store network we are mandating a mask policy".

In terms of customers participating in the new policy, Walmart's Corporate Affairs said " "Customers have done a great job following face-covering requirements in those jurisdictions where it is mandated by the local government. We trust that customers in the rest of our stores where we are initiating this policy will respect and follow it and will bring their own face coverings when they shop. "

Walmart will also continue to provide increased cleaning throughout its stores, Wellness checks that include a temperature check for all associates at the start of each shift, and Limiting the number of customers shopping in the store at one time amongst their other safety measures already in place.