The Fresh Market requires face coverings

Shoppers looking to roam the aisles of The Fresh Market are now required to wear a face covering.

The Greensboro, N.C.-based retailer with nearly 160 stores in 22 states alerted its shopping community over social media and through email of the new requirement. Signage will be placed out front of stores, too, to go along with signage for its social distancing policy. The Store Brands in the Wild blog previously featured a sign out front that smartly asked ill shoppers not to enter the store. This new policy increases its safety policy.

The Fresh Market said it made the movie in accordance with guidance from The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and local public health authorities. The CDC did recently recommend people wear a cloth face covering when out in public and the retailer said it modified the store entry policy around that and that some state and city ordinances have already made it mandatory for shoppers to wear face coverings.

"In order to help keep our communities safe, wearing face coverings is a necessary measure in public settings where physical separation is difficult," said James Ball, director of food safety and quality assurance, The Fresh Market. "There is growing evidence that more individuals than previously thought may be carriers of coronavirus but do not show symptoms of the illness. Wearing a face covering may reduce the spread of the virus by asymptomatic individuals.  Since it is impossible to know who may be asymptomatic, it is prudent for everyone to wear a covering. The goal is to reduce the virus transmission to keep everyone as safe as possible."  

The Fresh Market also has in tact a social distancing policy to have shoppers stay two-cart lengths apart from another, about six feet. To see what other retailers are doing, check out this retailer roundup.