Monday was first day Walmart required customers to wear face coverings

Walmart implemented its nationwide requirement Monday that all its customers wear masks.

With fresh tape creating a new aisle outside the eastern door of the Hayden retail giant, employees designated as “health ambassadors” wearing protective face shields stood outside in the early afternoon sun, a box of disposable masks in hand, informing inbound customers of the new policy. Daniel Porter of Hayden thanked the health ambassador standing guard as he took a mask and covered his face.

“That’s part of the deal,” he said. “People have been talking so much about what’s constitutional and what’s not. Well, this is a business decision. Walmart has a right to require their customers to wear masks. If people don’t like it, they don’t have to shop here.”

While local Walmart management directed all media requests for comment to its corporate office, and while neither regional nor national corporate staff replied to requests for comment, more customers in the Walmart parking lot expressed confusion than either outrage or gratitude.

“I didn’t bring mine,” Anthony Elder said, expressing relief after being told he didn’t have to turn around and drive back to his Cocolalla home to retrieve his mask.

“I thought (Panhandle Health) voted not to do this,” Jason Jermain quasi-asked. “Or they didn’t vote, or whatever it was.”

Only one board member at the July 16 PHD board meeting asked to bring a mask mandate to a vote. No one on the board would second the motion, essentially killing the motion in its tracks. But a motion to revisit a mask mandate was approved.

This Thursday, the board will meet once again to discuss the issue and debate whether or not it should require its citizens to wear masks in public. The date has not gone unnoticed by residents who oppose the bill.

The July 16 meeting also brought an estimated 100 protesters outside Panhandle Health to voice their concern. Some went inside, with a standing-room only crowd watching and cheering as the board turned down the issue.

Gov. Brad Little will be on hand at Panhandle Health for a media-only press conference Thursday to discuss the state’s continued status in Stage Four of his Rebound Idaho plan. Little thus far has not moved the state’s businesses out of health protocols like he planned to June 29, as the number of cases, new cases and deaths in Idaho continue to climb.

Kohl’s also on Monday began requiring customers to wear masks, and Fred Meyer will begin requiring customers to wear masks on Wednesday.