Are you a person who remixed a Disney song to celebrate your vaccination day or got a Pfizer tattoo to show off your status to those second-class Moderna citizens?
Have you begrudgingly received your two jabs so that politicians would stop ruining your life?
Are you a sneaky McSneakerson who hasn't been wearing masks inside giant box stores this entire time because you're a freedom-loving American?
Well, good news: A growing list of chain stores are lifting their mask mandates and allowing you to see the smiles of fellow shoppers and employees!
Trader Joe's was reportedly the first major retailer to drop the mandate. Walmart, Costco, Target, Starbucks, Publix, and Disney World (for outdoor areas) quickly followed suite.
Others, such as Kroger, Whole Foods, Meijer, Apple, Uber, and Lyft are continuing to follow teh sCiEnCe by requiring masks everywhere and always.
Some have said that dropping said mandates is a smart move since it will likely draw large numbers of pandemic-weary Americans. I agree, but I also believe it'll continue to drive this weird split over masks we have in society.
May I present Exhibit A to rest my case:
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Please note that while these stores will not ask for proof of vaccination, they do ask that shoppers wear masks until they've received the vaccine. Some are still requiring masks in their pharmacy departments.
Stores will also continue to require face coverings in places where state or local mask mandates are still in effect, like the locked-down dystopias of New York and California.
For the rest of us, the lifting of mask mandates in stores feels just a bit like Gandalf's return. Breathe the free air again, my friends!
