Walmart says all customers will be required to wear a mask from Monday

Walmart has announced today that it will require customers to wear facemasks in its 5,000-plus stores.

The new policy will be implemented on Monday (July 20) by America's largest retailer and it will cover all of its stores, including Sam's club, per NBC News.

As part of the new policy, Walmart will be providing masks to customers who don't have one and there will also be the opportunity for people to purchase masks in-store.

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Walmart is the latest national chain to require its customers to wear masks, with Costco implementing the measure back in May.

Meanwhile, Starbucks introduced its face-covering mandate across its 9,000 US locations this week, and next week, facemasks will be required by all Best Buy shoppers.

In a joint statement from Walmart Chief Operating Officer Dacona Smith and Sam's Club Chief Operating Officer Lance De La Rosa, the company wrote:

"While we're certainly not the first business to require face coverings, we know this is a simple step everyone can take for their safety and the safety of others in our facilities."

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According to an agency study published on Tuesday, the use of masks has been found to halt the spread of coronavirus, and the wearing of masks in public has been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The benefits of masks are undeniable, and if you're in any doubt about the good they do, Bill Nye (The Science Guy) has taken to the social media video-sharing app TikTok to demonstrate to people why face masks are important.

"Why do people in the scientific community want you to wear a face mask when you are out in public?" Nye asks in the video.

"Masks prevent particles from my respiratory system from getting into your respiratory system... Blocking the movement of air is an old trick." He went on, per CNN.

Nye demonstrates how a homemade two-layer cotton face mask with a pipe cleaner sewn in the top to conform to his nose prevents a candle from being blown out even when he blows hard through the mask.

He then continues his experiment in a second video, showing how an N-95 also prevents the candle from being extinguished when Nye blows hard through it.

“The reason we want you to wear a mask is to protect you. Sure,” Nye says towards the end of the video.

“But the main reason we want you to wear a mask is to protect me from you and the particles from your respiratory system from getting into my respiratory system.

“Everybody, this is a matter – literally – of life and death. And when I use the word ‘literally’, I mean ‘literally’ a matter of life and death.

“So when you’re out in public, please wear a mask.”

Facemasks remain a contentious issue in the US with President Trump previously saying that people should only wear facemasks if they want to, however, even he wore one in public for the first time last week.