WALMART WILL REQUIRE ALL CUSTOMERS TO WEAR MASKS JULY 20 (07/16/2020) Walmart announced on Wednesday it will require all customers to wear masks starting July 20. “To help bring consistency across stores and clubs, we will require all shoppers to wear a face covering starting Monday, July 20. This will give us time to inform customers and members of the changes, post signage and train associates on the new protocols,” the company said in a statement on Wednesday. “As the number of confirmed cases has spiked in communities across the country recently, so too have the number and types of face covering mandates being implemented,” the company said. “According to the CDC, face coverings help decrease the spread of COVID-19, and because the virus can be spread by people who don’t have symptoms and don’t know they are infected, it’s critically important for everyone to wear a face covering in public and social distance.” The company says currently about 65 percent of its more than 5000 stores and clubs nationwide are located in areas with some form of government mandate on face coverings.