The company announced on Tuesday, Aug. 3, that effectively immediately, all employees are required to wear masks in its stores.
Additionally, Wegmans said customers are "strongly" encouraged to wear a mask while shopping, regardless of their vaccination status.
In late July, the CDC announced that due to the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant, everyone in areas of the country with "substantial" or "high" community transmission of COVID-19 should wear a mask in indoor public spaces, even if they are fully vaccinated.
While most new COVID-19 infections in the United States are among unvaccinated individuals, "breakthrough" infections can occur, though they usually cause milder illnesses, health officials reported.
CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky said the decision was made in part due to new data suggesting that fully vaccinated individuals may still be able to transmit the virus.
"The masking recommendation was updated to ensure the vaccinated public would not unknowingly transmit virus to others, including their unvaccinated or immunocompromised loved ones," Walensky said.
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