TYLER, Texas (KETK) – Coffee tycoon Starbucks announced that it will require all customers in an American company-owned store to have a face mask starting July 15.
The company said the move is about “prioritizing the health and well-being of partners (employees) and customers.”
Any customer not wearing a mask will be asked to go to the drive-thru or use curbside pickup. This affects roughly more than half of Starbucks locations nationwide.
In a 2019 tax filing, the company said 55 percent of its 18,000+ stores are company-owned.
The World Health Organization has emphasized mask-wearing, social distancing, and hygiene by individuals are key strategies to fight the virus. They say governments and individuals should contour their mask policies and behavior based on the outbreak’s status in their countries.
