Retail workers again feel vulnerable as mask enforcement is fading away

As the vaccination for Coronavirus is going on worldwide, people are becoming more and more casual about it. Retail stores have opened up in full capacity, and lack of mask enforcement at retail stores is worrying the store workers. Many stores do not enforce the requirement, and if the store workers approach customers, there is a risk of verbal or physical altercations. Most customers don’t want to wear masks or not wear the mask properly.

“It’s given a great false sense of security, and it’s no different now than it was a year ago,” said Reece, who is not yet able to receive a vaccine because of allergies. “The only difference we have now is people are getting vaccinated, but enough people haven’t gotten vaccinated that they should have lifted the mandate.” The issue has attracted serious prominence, as President Joe Biden called upon governors and mayors to reinstate orders to wear masks as there are still chances of potential surge with new variants popping up around the world.

The United Food and Commercial Workers union, representing nearly 900,000 grocery workers, said that at least 34,700 grocery workers countrywide had been infected with or exposed to COVID-19 this month, and at least 155 workers have died from the virus. A recent mass shooting at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, has further irked workers adding concerns over their own safety. A Kroger representative has said that the chain would require everyone to wear masks until all their frontline associates get vaccinated. They are also offering $100 one-time payments to workers who received the vaccine.