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Masks still required at some stores, but retailers continue to update policies after new CDC mask guidance

UPDATE: Find the list of retailers that have dropped masks in this story that is being updated.

Don't ditch your mask just yet.

Despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new masking guidelines saying fully vaccinated people don't need to wear masks, face coverings will still be required when shopping at some of the nation's major retailers.

At least for now.

The list of companies that have dropped mask requirements keeps growing and includes major retailers such as Walmart, Trader Joe's, Starbucks, Costco, Target, CVS and other businesses.

Walgreens and Kroger are the latest to update policies and made announcements Wednesday.

"Following the latest CDC guidance, beginning today, May 19, Walgreens will no longer require fully vaccinated customers to wear face coverings inside of our stores, unless mandated by state or local regulations," Walgreens spokesperson Emily Hartwig-Mekstan said in a statement to USA TODAY. "Customers who are not fully vaccinated are asked to continue wearing face coverings, and our team members will continue to wear them while working."

Kroger said its new guidelines start Thursday and that its family of stores will allow fully vaccinated customers and "most fully vaccinated" employees to no longer wear masks in facilities, including stores, distribution centers, plants and offices unless otherwise required by state or local jurisdictions, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY Network. Non-vaccinated employees and customers will still be required to wear a mask, the company said.

But some businesses are keeping or still evaluating their mask policies.

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The CDC said Thursday that fully vaccinated Americans, for the most part, no longer need to wear masks indoors and don’t have to wear masks outdoors, even in crowded spaces.

But privately-owned businesses can still require masks, which most of the nation's largest retailers started mandating last summer. There are other exceptions for when the CDC recommends masks such as in health care settings, transportation hubs such as airports and stations, and public transportation.

Kroger announced Wednesday that its family of stores will allow fully vaccinated customers and "most fully vaccinated" employees to no longer wear masks in facilities, including stores, distribution centers, plants and offices unless otherwise required by state or local jurisdictions, reported the Cincinnati Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY Network. The new guidelines start Thursday and non-vaccinated employees and customers will still be required to wear a mask, the company said.

Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers' union, called the CDC’s guidance confusing and said in a statement that it "fails to consider how it will impact essential workers who face frequent exposure to individuals who are not vaccinated and refuse to wear masks."

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Perrone said store workers “are still forced to play mask police for shoppers who are unvaccinated and refuse to follow local COVID safety measures,” and asked if they are now supposed to become the “vaccination police.”

"Vaccinations are helping us take control of this pandemic, but we must not let our guard down,” Perrone said. “As one of America’s largest unions for essential workers, UFCW is calling on the CDC and our nation's leaders to clarify how this new policy will be implemented, how essential workers will be protected, and how these workers will protect the communities they serve.”

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Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY; Brook Endale, Cincinnati Enquirer; Jim Weiker and Sarah Donaldson, The Columbus Dispatch

Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stores look at mask policies after CDC fully vaccinated mask update