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Former US Attorney for Southern District of Florida Guy Lewis on COVID restrictions ramping on in different parts of the country as infections spike and the CDC's new eviction moratorium.
Home Depot stores are again requiring masks to be worn indoors by employees, contractors and vendors due to the COVID-19 delta variant, the company announced Monday.
The new rules also apply to Home Depot’s distribution centers, offices and at the homes or businesses of customers where work is being done.
"We’ll ask customers to wear masks while in our stores and continue to offer masks to those who don’t have one," the company said in a statement.
Mount Prospect, IL, USA - May 29, 2011: Entrance of The Home Depot home improvement store in Mount Prospect, IL, a suburb of Chicago. Plants and chairs for sale are displayed in front of store. (iStock)
Home Depot is also urging its employees to obtain COVID-19 vaccinations and is offering assistance with childcare, transportation and making appointments. Employees can go here for more information.
The retailer initially began requiring masks on July 22, 2020, as cases were surging around the country last year. Young children and customers with a "valid medical condition" were exempt – but they were asked to speak with a store employee before entering.
Home Depot lifted the previous mask mandate on May 17 for vaccinated individuals after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its coronavirus guidance – a move the Biden administration reversed last week.
Current CDC suggestions now say even vaccinated people should wear masks indoors, and some businesses and state and local governments have adopted that guidance as a new rule.
Although mask rules are unpopular among many shoppers, the pandemic has proven an economic boon for Home Depot.
The chain reported a whopping 31% increase in same-store sales in the first quarter this year as pandemic lockdowns prompted Americans to upgrade their living spaces at an unprecedented rate. Net sales reached $37.5 billion, more than $2.5 billion better than estimates, Reuters reported at the time.
The retailer is scheduled to reveal its second quarter performance on Aug. 17.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Home Depot brought back a mask requirement for customers. The company reinstated the requirement for employees, contractors and vendors; customers are asked to wear masks inside stores but are not required to.
