HOULTON, Maine — In another sign of normalcy beginning to slowly return, Houlton area grocery stores began welcoming vaccinated shoppers who no longer need to wear a mask on Monday, May 24.
The lifting of mask requirements for vaccinated residents is part of the state’s new guidelines in light of COVID-19 cases declining across the state and the country. Those who have been fully vaccinated against the virus are allowed to go maskless in both indoor and outdoor locations, and also abolishes social distancing guidelines and allows stores to operate at capacity. The guidelines officially took effect on May 24.
Andy Marino, owner of Andy’s IGA in Houlton, has changed store policy following the new guidelines to allow both shoppers and staff who have been fully vaccinated to go maskless. Though it effectively makes masks optional, some shoppers continued to wear masks while shopping at the grocery outlet.
“We’re doing what the CDC is telling us,” Marino said. “If you’ve been fully vaccinated, you don’t have to wear a mask.”
Marino estimated that somewhere between 80 to 90 percent of his staff had been vaccinated against COVID-19, thanks to donations of surplus vaccines from the Aroostook Band of Micmacs tribe in Presque Isle.
“We’re very fortunate,” Marino said. “It should be a shout-out to the Micmacs, because they contacted us and said ‘hey, come on up and we’re gonna do the grocery people’.”
At County Yankee Grocer, vaccinated customers were also able to walk in maskless, although plenty still continued to wear masks, and cashiers continued to wear masks while checking out customers.
“We are following the governor’s mandates,” Rosella Silliboy, the store’s bookkeeper, said. She declined to give any further comment on the store’s new mask policy.
The County Co-Op on Main Street has also officially relaxed its mask policy, although a sign inside the building stating that masks were encouraged remained up as of May 24. Jane Torres, the executive director of the co-op, said that employees are still wearing masks and that she hoped people would follow the new guidelines appropriately.
“We are wearing masks, but customers are discretionary and we hope, honest,” Torres said. “If they have been vaxxed they are welcome to not mask.”
Larger chain stores in Houlton, such as Hannafords and Walmart, have also announced they are relaxing their mask rules in line with the new guidelines for their store locations.
