LAKELAND, Fla. — All Publix store employees are now required to wear face masks during the coronavirus pandemic.
A Publix spokesperson confirmed the announcement Monday, several weeks after the company said it would allow face masks and gloves for certain employees in its stores.
Director of Communications Maria Brous sent the following statement to 10News:
"We value the health and safety of our associates and customers. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidance as it continues to learn more about the coronavirus. Their recommendations indicate wearing any type of face covering in public places can help slow the spread of the coronavirus. As a result during this national emergency, we are requiring associates to wear face coverings, beginning April 20. Additionally, associates who are not normally required to wear gloves to voluntarily wear them, if they can safely perform their job duties. We are providing face coverings for all of our associates and plastic gloves for customer service and pharmacy associates, until our supplies are depleted. At that time, associates are required to provide their own face covering, and customer service and pharmacy associates may use their personal supply of gloves."
The Lakeland-based grocery store chain also said it's working on installing plexiglass shield at registers to protect cashiers and launching contact-less payment options for customers. Stores in the Tampa Bay area and around the state have implemented restricted shopping hours for seniors and first responders and rolled back open times to let employees restock shelves.
And, store aisles are now one-way only to increase social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new employee protective measures come as stores around Tampa Bay and the state report employees testing positive for coronavirus. There have been positive cases at stores in Clearwater, Dunedin, South Pasadena and Tampa.
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