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The Canadian Press

The Latest: Walmart: Vaccinated US shoppers won't need masks


NEW YORK — Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, said Friday that it won’t require vaccinated shoppers or workers to wear a mask in its U.S. stores, unless state or local laws say otherwise. Vaccinated shoppers can go maskless immediately, the company said. Vaccinated workers can stop wearing them on May 18. As an incentive, Walmart said it is offering workers $75 if they prove they’ve been vaccinated. Walmart said it won’t ask shoppers if they’ve been vaccinated. Workers, however, will need to tell the company if they’ve been vaccinated in order to go maskless. ___ THE VIRUS OUTBREAK: — States, business sort out what new CDC mask guidance means — Delta Airlines will require new hires get vaccinated against virus — UK jubilant as lockdown restrictions to be lifted next week — Disney CEO says more people allowed into parks ___ — Follow more of AP’s pandemic coverage at Coronavirus pandemic and Coronavirus vaccine ___ HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: JUNEAU, Alaska — The acting mayor of Anchorage says Alaska’s largest city is revoking its mask mandate, starting May 21. Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson’s office says masks no longer will be required in indoor or outdoor settings but that people who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 are encouraged to wear masks. The decision follows guidance released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday for people who are vaccinated. Quinn-Davidson’s office says applying a mask mandate only to those who are not vaccinated in Anchorage would have created enforcement challenges and issues for businesses. Meanwhile, in Juneau, city officials ease mask wearing rules for people who are fully vaccinated. ___ LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas’ capital city is dropping its requirement to wear a mask to combat the coronavirus following loosened federal guidance and a new state law that will ban local mandates, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott said Friday. Scott said the city’s mask mandate will end Saturday, though private entities, hospitals and churches can still enforce their own requirements on employees and patrons. People entering City of Little Rock indoor facilities will still be required to wear a mask, the mayor said. “We strongly encourage residents to continue wearing face coverings in public until we reach the desired vaccination rate in our city, as outlined by healthcare professionals,” Scott said in a statement. The decision comes a day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings. Arkansas dropped its mask mandate in March, but the governor allowed local governments to enforce their own. A new state law, however, takes effect in July that will ban any state or local mandates. ___ ATLANTA — Georgia’s 26 public universities and colleges do not currently plan to require students, faculty or staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in the fall, according to guidance issued by the University System of Georgia. The 340,000-student university system in March asked all campuses “to plan for resuming normal operations for the Fall 2021 semester.” Thursday’s guidance says fully vaccinated people won’t have to socially distance or wear masks, while unvaccinated people “are strongly encouraged to continue” socially distancing and wearing a mask inside. The universities are supposed to make sure vaccinations are available, but schools won’t be “responsible for assessing current COVID-19 vaccination rates for their institution.” The university system said it had made the decisions in concert with the state Department of Public Health and that they were subject to change. The Board of Regents insisted on at least some in-person instruction in the fall and spring semesters. Those moves came despite resistance from some employees. ___ ATLANTA — Georgia’s 26 public universities and colleges do not currently plan to require students, faculty or staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in the fall, according to guidance issued by the University System of Georgia. The 340,000-student university system in March asked all campuses “to plan for resuming normal operations for the Fall 2021 semester.” Thursday’s guidance says fully vaccinated people won’t have to socially distance or wear masks, while unvaccinated people “are strongly encouraged to continue” socially distancing and wearing a mask inside. The universities are supposed to make sure vaccinations are available, but schools won’t be “responsible for assessing current COVID-19 vaccination rates for their institution.” The university system said it had made the decisions in concert with the state Department of Public Health and that they were subject to change. The Board of Regents insisted on at least some in-person instruction in the fall and spring semesters. Those moves came despite resistance from some employees. ___ ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Maryland is ending its statewide mask mandate this weekend, following guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Friday. The mask mandate will end effective Saturday, the Republican governor said at a news conference. In alignment with CDC guidance, face coverings will still be required on public transportation, and in schools, child care and health care settings, Hogan said. The Maryland Department of Health has issued a public health advisory strongly recommending that all non-vaccinated individuals over the age of 2 continue to wear face coverings in all indoor settings and in outdoor settings where physical distancing cannot be maintained. Private businesses and workplaces can put in place their own policies. Local jurisdictions may continue to use their own emergency powers on these matters. Earlier this week, the governor announced the lifting of restrictions on indoor and outdoor venues, including restaurants, that also will take effect on Saturday. ___ NEW ORLEANS -- People fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can take off their masks in most of New Orleans. And they can celebrate by dancing. Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced the easing of the city mask mandate Friday following this week’s new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In New Orleans, masks will still be required in city government buildings, hospitals and K-12 schools, as well as on public transportation. City health director Jennifer Avegno said more than half of city residents who are eligible have received the required number of vaccine shots. Avegno also announced easing of another city restriction, saying vaccinated people can now dance at public venues. ___ DOVER, Del. — Democratic Gov. John Carney said Friday that he will lift Delaware’s mask-wearing mandate effective May 21 after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 do not need to wear masks or practice social distancing. The move comes after the CDC issued new guidance Thursday saying that people who have been vaccinated can resume activities without wearing a mask or social distancing. The relaxed guidance does not apply to health care settings, prisons and homeless shelters, and it still calls for wearing masks while using public transportation. The announcement prompted governors of several states, including North Carolina, to relax state mandates on mask wearing. The lifting of Delaware’s mask mandate coincides with the easing of other COVID-19 restrictions effective next Friday that Carney formalized in an order he signed Wednesday. That order eliminated most business capacity restrictions and lifted a distancing requirement on school buses, while stilling requiring masks indoors. —- LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says second doses of coronavirus vaccines will be accelerated in response to the rise of the virus variant first identified in India. Johnson says people over age 50 can receive their second COVID-19 shot eight weeks after their first, rather than the previous 12 weeks. Current vaccines are expected to be effective against the virus variant known as B.1.617.2. “I believe we should trust in our vaccines to protect the public whilst monitoring the situation as it develops very closely, because the race between our vaccination program and the virus may be about to become a great deal tighter,” Johnson said. ”And it’s more important than ever, therefore, that people get the additional protection of a second dose.” On Monday, Britain will ease lockdown measures for pubs and restaurants. Johnson couldn’t say “for sure” whether the final easing of all measures on June 21 will go ahead as planned. Scottish authorities say Glasgow and the island of Moray won’t engage in the reopening on Monday because of higher infection levels. ___ CINCINNATI — National grocery store chain Kroger says it will continue to require masks in its stores. The Cincinnati-based company operates some 2,760 stores nationwide, including under other banners such as Ralphs, Dillons, Fry’s and King Soopers. Spokesperson Sheila Regehr says in an email: “As we have throughout the pandemic, we are reviewing current safety practices, the CDC’s latest guidance, and soliciting feedback from associates to guide the next phase of our policy.” Kroger offers its workers $100 to get vaccinated. ___ ATLANTA — Delta Air Lines will require new employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 starting on Monday. The airline won’t impose the same requirement on current employees, of whom more than 60% are vaccinated, a spokesman said Friday. The airline says the policy for new hires is designed to protect other employees and passengers as travel demand recovers from last year’s pandemic low levels. Meanwhile, some airline stocks rose after the CDC’s new guidance for people who are fully vaccinated. United Airlines was up 4% in early Friday trading, and other U.S. airlines rose by smaller amounts. The federal requirement for wearing face masks on planes remains in place. A spokesman for trade group Airlines for America says carriers will continue to enforce the rule. The Transportation Security Administration announced 1.74 million people passed through U.S. airports on Thursday, a new pandemic-era high. However, those airport crowds were still 33% smaller than on the comparable day in 2019. ___ BERLIN — Germany is putting the Britain back on a list of “risk areas” because of the emergence there of cases of a coronavirus variant first detected in India. Britain currently has a lower rate of coronavirus infections than Germany. But Germany’s disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, says the United Kingdom is going back on the list effective Sunday because of “the at least limited appearance” of the variant known as B.1.617.2. The institute says Spain’s Canary Islands, a popular tourist destination, and the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in North Africa were being removed from the list of “risk areas,” the lowest of three levels of risk classification. Under new rules this week, fully vaccinated people don’t need a test to enter Germany or to go into quarantine -- unless they’re coming from somewhere designated as a “virus variant area” such as India or Brazil. Others coming from a “risk area” can avoid a mandatory 10-day quarantine by showing a negative test result. ___ BOSTON — Neither Massachusetts nor Rhode Island made any immediate changes to their mask regulations after the CDC’s decision Thursday suggesting fully vaccinated Americans no longer need to wear masks or practice social distancing in most settings. A spokesperson for Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said he “welcomes the new CDC guidance and will be updating Massachusetts’ COVID restrictions in the near future. In the meantime, the current mask order remains in place.” Massachusetts requires people to cover their faces while in indoor public places and outdoors if they are unable to maintain 6 feet of distance from others. “We are going to review the CDC’s updated guidance on social distancing and masking and determine what the best approach is for Rhode Island,” state Health Department spokesperson Joseph Wendelken said. Currently, the state requires people to wear masks in indoor public places, and outdoors when within 3 feet of others not in their immediate circle. ___ LONDON — Britain is saying goodbye to months of tough lockdown restrictions, thanks to an effective vaccine rollout program. Starting Monday, all restaurants, bars and museums can largely reopen, and people can socialize indoors. It’s the biggest step yet to reopen the country following a sharp drop in new infections and deaths. Many credit Britain’s universal public health system for getting hundreds of thousands vaccinated every day. Experts say that infrastructure was key, helped by the government’s early start in securing vaccine doses and its decision to delay the second dose. Almost 38 million people, approximately 68% of the adult population, have received their first dose. Almost 19 million have had both doses. Experts say the National Health Service can target the population and easily identify those most at risk because almost everyone is registered with a local general practitioner. Deaths in Britain have come down to single digits in recent days. In January, there were up to 1,477 deaths a day amid a second wave driven by a more infectious variant first found in Kent, in southeastern England. New cases have plummeted to an average of 2,000 a day, compared with nearly 70,000 a day during the winter. However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed concerned this week about a resurgence because of variants of the virus, including one from India. Britain has totaled nearly 128,000 confirmed deaths, the highest toll in Europe. ___ WARSAW, Poland — Restaurants, bars and pubs in Poland plan to open their doors to dine-in customers for the first time in seven months on Saturday. That means many business owners will open to customers at midnight between Friday and Saturday, expecting many people will rush to enjoy a night on the town. Pandemic restrictions limited restaurants, cafes and other establishments to offering only take-away food and drinks since last fall. Not all of them have financially survived. More restaurants in Warsaw are creating outdoor seating while ensuring that physical distancing can be maintained between tables. Vaccinations are finally picking up in Poland as the numbers of new infections and hospitalizations have decreased in recent weeks. ___ MOBILE, Ala. — A Carnival cruise ship was arriving in Mobile, Alabama, on Friday so crew members can get vaccinated against COVID-19. The Carnival Sensation will dock at the Mobile Cruise Terminal, where staff members from USA Health will go on board to provide first doses for 110 crew members, the city announced. The ship will return in three weeks for second doses. U.S. ports are closed to cruise lines because of the global pandemic, but Mayor Sandy Stimpson says such vaccinations are a major step toward getting the industry back in business. Carnival says crew members have received vaccines at other ports, including Miami and Port Canaveral in Florida and Galveston, Texas. Sensation will be based in Mobile, offering trips to the western Caribbean, once cruises resume. But it’s unclear when that will happen. ___ TOKYO — Japan is further expanding a coronavirus state of emergency to three additional areas ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. The state of emergency is currently in Tokyo and five other prefectures. The additions include Japan’s northern island state of Hokkaido, where the Olympic marathon will be held, as well as Hiroshima and Okayama in western Japan. Bars, karaoke parlors and most entertainment facilities are required to close. Business owners who comply will be compensated; those who don’t could face fines. The expansion of the state of emergency is a major shift from the government’s initial plan that relied on less stringent measures. Japan has been struggling to slow coronavirus infections ahead of the postponed Olympics, which are scheduled to start July 23. _ The Associated Press