On Saturday, St. Cloud’s Walmart closed for, according to St. Cloud Police, a deep cleaning – which will take until 6 am on Monday to complete- when they will re-open. For most communities, this is not a sight that we typically see under normal circumstances, but over the last year and a half, we’ve grown accustomed to many “non-normal” circumstances.
Walmart recently announced that all employees are required to wear masks inside their stores again, regardless of vaccination status, in places with “substantial or high transmission,” like Florida. The new policy is effective immediately, the nation’s largest retailer said Friday.
Walmart store managers will receive local updates every Monday to determine their facility’s necessary protocol.
Customers will not be required to wear masks, but they will be strongly encouraged, and facilities will post signs to remind them of the CDC’s new guidelines.
Walmart is currently not mandating that its employees get vaccinated, however, it says it will soon put in place a new process to verify their vaccine status, and is encouraging its workers to get vaccinated. The company is offering employees the chance to get vaccinated while on the clock and if they experience a reaction to the vaccine they can also receive up to three days of paid leave. Walmart is doubling its current vaccine incentive to $150, which prior to this change, was $75.
