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Home Depot joins roster of retailers requiring mask amid coronavirus
resurgence
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   Mike Snider   | USA TODAY
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   Face masks causing confrontations as businesses enforce guidelines
   Businesses and cities across the country are requiring people to wear
   masks, which some people say infringe upon their individual rights.
   USA TODAY

   Another retailing heavyweight is weighing in on the national
   mask-wearing issue: Home Depot will now require all shoppers wear them.

   The home improvement retailer said Friday that customers must wear
   masks inside all U.S. stores beginning Wednesday, July 22. However,
   small children and those who have a valid medical condition will not
   have to wear them. Customers not wearing masks because of a medical
   condition are asked to speak with an associate before entering the
   store, the company says.

   Home Depot joins a slew of retailers including Walmart, Target, CVS,
   and Walgreens set to mandate masks at stores nationwide as cases of
   COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, continue to rise in the
   U.S.

   The requiring of masks and facial coverings has become a hot button
   nationally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends
   them as way to prevent the spread of the virus, but some consider mask
   mandates as a violation against their constitutional rights.

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   As states have begun to reopen and ease social distancing requirements,
   the wearing of masks in public has incited some violent confrontations
   in stores. As state and cities enact differing regulations on masks,
   retailers have started taking the lead in mandating mask in their
   locations nationwide.

   Home Depot is headquartered in Atlanta, which is ground zero for a
   national debate on mask mandates. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday
   sued the Atlanta City Council and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms for
   requiring citizens to wear face masks in public.

   The retailer says about 85% of its stores already require customers to
   wear face masks due to local and state regulations. Home Depot workers
   already wear masks in stores, distribution centers, and other
   locations, the company says.

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   Within stores, social distancing is promoted with audio announcements,
   floor markings and signs; plexiglass shields separate employees and
   shoppers.

   “We appreciate all of our associates who have been working so hard to
   serve our customers with the essential products they need throughout
   the COVID-19 pandemic, and we want to thank our customers for their
   cooperation as we work to protect everyone in our stores,” said
   Ann-Marie Campbell, Home Depot's executive vice president of stores, in
   a statement.

   Store staffers will provide masks to incoming shoppers who do not have
   one and, for those who prefer, the store offers home delivery and
   curbside pickup through its HomeDepot.com website.

   Contributing: Kelly Tyko, Jessica Flores, Joel Shannon

   Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.
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   COVID: Wearing cloth face mask can protect you from serious infection
   A new report suggests that wearing a cloth mask doesn't just protect
   others from COVID-19, it can protect you as well.
   USA TODAY
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