Customers will be required to wear masks in Walmart starting next week

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Walmart has confirmed it will require customers in Canada to wear face masks covering their nose and mouth soon.

The policy is due to start Aug. 12 according to corporate affairs manager Felicia Fefer.

"Customers have done a great job following face covering requirements in those jurisdictions where it is mandated by the local government," she states in an email to Castanet. "We trust that customers in the rest of our stores where we are initiating this the policy will respect and follow it and will bring their own face coverings when they shop."

All Walmart employees working in public areas will also be required to wear masks, if they aren't already.

In the statement, it's noted that 60 per cent of the Walmarts in Canada are in areas where face coverings of some sort are already required by local government policies.

Health Canada's advice regarding the effectiveness of masks in reducing the spread of COVID-19 is cited as well.

Other measures are already in place, including limiting the number of customers in stores, temperature checks of employees, increased sanitization of the store and equipment and plexiglass at tills.