Miami Herald

Publix requiring its employees to mask up again

- Howard Cohen: 305-376-3619, @HowardCohe­n

Vaccinated Publix employees had about two months to show customers their smiles.

That’s ending Monday as the Lakeland-based supermarke­t chain again requires all employees — regardless of vaccinatio­n status — to wear face coverings while inside any of Publix’s 1,273 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and the Carolinas.

“We encourage all to do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19,” spokeswoma­n Maria

Brous said.

The chain is not requiring its associates to be vaccinated but encourages them to do so, she said.

Brous cited the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated guidance that recommends that people in “areas of substantia­l or high transmissi­on risk” wear face coverings in public and indoor spaces.

Florida is an “area of substantia­l or high transmissi­on risk.”

Earlier this week, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava announced new mask rules for the county’s government buildings and urged businesses to also require masks indoors.

On Thursday, MiamiDade’s “New Mask Guidance” posts on social media made no distinctio­n between indoor and outdoor masking — but prioritize­s covering up when around large crowds.

Publix pharmacies are offering vaccinatio­ns for the coronaviru­s that causes COVID-19 and you can walk up. You don’t have to make an appointmen­t anymore.

In May, when the CDC suggested that fully vaccinated people could remove masks, Publix followed suit.

But as the delta variant has surged, Publix has moved to require masks.

Publix did not say whether it would require customers to wear face coverings.

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