TEXAS — Following Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott’s announcement Tuesday that beginning on March 10 all businesses within the state will be permitted to operate at 100% occupancy and the statewide mask mandate will be rescinded, retailers are scrambling to figure out a game plan for the ongoing pandemic.
The governor’s new executive order stipulates businesses are permitted to enforce their own COVID-19 safeguards, and that includes mask mandates on premises.
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However, perhaps surprisingly, San Antonio-based grocery chain and Texas staple H-E-B is among the retailers that won’t make customers don masks when shopping.
In a Twitter response on Tuesday, the chain said it will require employees and vendors to keep wearing masks, and while it will “strongly encourage” customers to do so as well, it will not be required in order to discourage confrontation.
Hi, Jared. H-E-B strongly encourages the use masks and requires it for all Partners and vendors. We ask that all our customers please wear masks in our stores. To protect the safety of our Partners, we will not engage in confrontation.
— H-E-B (@HEB) March 2, 2021
That announcement has sparked some debate about the relative safety of employees potentially exposed to the virus versus the potential for conflict with guests who refuse to wear masks on premises.
Other Texas staples, such as the Alamo Drafthouse, which recently announced it is being sold and filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, say they will keep their mask mandates and other protections in place.
“Alamo Drafthouse’s mandatory mask policy remains in place, as well as our 6’ social distancing protocols, and all of the other safety measures we’ve had in place across the country since last year,” the theater chain said in a statement. “We are only following the guidance of the CDC and medical experts, not politicians. Right now, at what we hope is the beginning of the end of COVID, the health of our teams and our guests remains this company’s top priority.”
— Alamo Drafthouse (@alamodrafthouse) March 3, 2021
Randalls, another prominent grocery chain in Texas, is taking the same approach as H-E-B. Some smaller businesses such as bars and restaurants are still formulating plans, and if you’re unsure of a particular business’s social distancing protocols, it’s probably best to call ahead beginning March 10.
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