Aug 3, 2021 - Health

McDonald's mandates masks for customers, staff in high COVID spread areas

McDonald's building

Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

McDonald's will require all customers and staff to start wearing masks again while inside the restaurant in counties with high or substantial COVID-19 transmission, regardless of vaccination status, the company confirmed Tuesday.

Driving the news: The mandate comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued updated guidance recommending vaccinated people wear masks in indoor, public settings if they are in parts of the country with substantial to high transmission.

  • On Monday, Target announced that the company would require masks for employees in high-risk counties across the United States.

The big picture: As of Monday, 59.7% of U.S. counties have “high transmission” and 18.8% have “substantial transmission," according to CDC data.

  • McDonald's also said that masks were always mandatory for staff and customers who were not vaccinated.

Go deeper: More corporations are requiring workers to get vaccinated

Go deeper