The Fresh Market stores require shoppers to wear face coverings

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Fresh Market is requiring all shoppers inside their stores to wear face masks or coverings starting Tuesday.

The grocery store is asking for the change citing “guidance of The Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization, Food & Drug Administration and local public health authorities.”

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“When the CDC updated their guidance to recommend people wear cloth face coverings when in public settings, The Fresh Market modified their policy to require all team members to wear a face mask or cloth face covering while working in the store,” a spokesperson said.

The Fresh Market has 159 locations, including more than 40 in Florida.

“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 at 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.”

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More information on how to make a cloth face covering can be found on the CDC’s website.

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