The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reversed course on its masking guidance last week and that has prompted corporate leaders at the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart, to require employees to wear masks in high-transmission areas.

Chattooga County is considered a “high-transmission” area and employees at the local Wal-Mart were back to wearing masks as of Friday of last week.  The store had dropped the requirement for employees back in May.  At this time, customers are requested to wear masks, but it is not required.

The CDC now recommends fully vaccinated people resume wearing masks indoors in areas with high transmission of COVID-19 and its Delta Variant. More than 2,000 U.S. counties, or 63% of all counties, are experiencing substantial or high transmission, according to a county-level CDC tracker of cases.