Dollar Tree and Family Dollar disclosed last week they are no longer requiring thrifty shoppers to wear masks in their stores, a move that runs contrary to the advice of public-health experts and anyone with some damn sense.
Employees and shoppers in areas with local mask mandates — including Orange and Seminole Counties — must still follow hometown rules and mask up. Everyone else in the state is left to decide on their own whether to save a buck while spit-talking droplets of saliva and, possibly, aerosolized coronavirus onto strangers' faces.
Dollar Tree Inc., owner of Family Dollar, had originally posted on July 8 that all shoppers, vendors and employees must wear cloth facial coverings, in an apparent effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Now, as major retail chains like Walmart, Target, Walgreens and CVS begin requiring masks, Dollar Tree Inc. updated its mask policy on July 16 to merely "request" face coverings be worn in stores where state and local rules don't require them.
Considering Florida just registered more COVID-19 deaths than any other state, it's unlikely the stores based their reversal on their employees' health and safety. It is much more probable that customer complaints contributed to the change.We welcome readers to submit letters regarding articles and content in Orlando Weekly. Letters should be a minimum of 150 words, refer to content that has appeared on Orlando Weekly, and must include the writer's full name, address, and phone number for verification purposes. No attachments will be considered. Writers of letters selected for publication will be notified via email. Letters may be edited and shortened for space.
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