Trader Joe's announced Friday that customers fully vaccinated for COVID-19 can shop without a mask, following new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. But workers there will continue to be required to wear masks.
A person is considered fully vaccinated if it has been two weeks since their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two weeks after the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot.
Trader Joe's says it won't require customers to prove they've been fully vaccinated.
"We do not require proof of vaccination, as we trust our customers to follow CDC guidelines," Trader Joe's said in a statement. The company did not say if there were exceptions in state and local jurisdictions that still require masks indoors.
Costco, Walmart, Sam's Club and Publix also announced Friday they would be dropping the mask mandates for their fully vaccinated customers, although some did list exceptions. But several other major retailers are keeping the mandates in place.
The CDC on Thursday eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings.
The guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but it will help clear the way for reopening workplaces, schools and other venues — even removing the need for social distancing for those who are fully vaccinated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.