Winn-Dixie won’t require face masks in effort to avoid ‘undue friction’ in stores

Winn-Dixie will not be joining other major retailers like Publix and Walmart by requiring face masks in its stores in an effort to avoid any “undue friction” between employees and customers during the coronavirus crisis.

Southeastern Grocers, the supermarket chain’s parent company, does not want to “cause undue friction between our customers and associates by regulating mask mandates,” Joe Caldwell, director of corporate communications, said in a statement, FOX 13 reported.

Winn-Dixie, which has hundreds of locations throughout the southern states, says on its website that it is “allowing” employees to wear masks and gloves and is “distributing as much of this protective gear” to stores as possible.

“We are adhering to all local safety mandates within each of our stores and strongly encouraging those who are medically able to wear a face covering to do so,” Mr. Caldwell said. “We strongly encourage state officials to lead the way in regulating these type of safety mandates.”

“We are always listening to our communities, and as the number of COVID cases rise, we are actively evaluating our policies so that every reasonable precaution is made to protect the health and safety of our people and our customers,” he said.

Face masks have become a hot-button issue during the coronavirus pandemic, and the enforcement of wearing facial coverings in public has sparked countless physical altercations across the country, often resulting in viral notoriety. A recent New York Times article dubbed brawling over masks “the new American pastime.”