SAN ANGELO, Texas — The increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases in San Angelo continued Tuesday with 29 confirmed positive results reported. The sudden spikes in positive tests has now caused stores to lay out new rules to ensure the safety of its shoppers as well as its employees.
FOX West Texas reached out to Walmart and Market Street, but neither of the chains were able to give a response.
However, both H-E-B locations are now requiring all shoppers to wear a mask before entering the store. H-E-B Public Affairs Alyssa Owens said this new rule is to make sure the community's health is protect when shopping.
"Over 85 percent of our stores already fall under a massive mandate," Owens said. "As a company, we decided to go ahead and implement the requirement company-wide just to add an extra layer of protection to our partners and our customers."
Owens and H-E-B are following the steps provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the CDC, children under the age of two are not required to wear a mask, and shoppers who must wear any type of breathing apparatuses are also not required to wear a mask.
She is not sure how long this mandate will last, but she ensures the chain is taking the best steps recommended by the CDC.
"We rely heavily on CDC, the state of Texas and local health officials to tell us how things are going with COVID," Owens said. "We will be happy to relax our policies once we see a drop in cases."
As of right now, the mask requirement is the only rule H-E-B has in place. If a shopper happens to forget or does not have a mask, the store will provide one. The store will not set a cap on the number of shoppers who enter the store, or have special shopping times for the elderly.
"It's important for us to take the steps right now that we're doing as far as mask and social distancing," Owens said
Owens said these rules are just to help stop the spread of COVID-19.