Wear A Mask In Walmart Or Face Consequences: Gwinnett County

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — Georgia cities may not be able to make you wear a mask, but Walmart can — and one of Gwinnett County’s top law enforcement officials said he plans to back them up.

Solicitor General Brian Whiteside said in a statement Thursday that his office “is ready to work with Walmart and law enforcement officers to ensure the safety and security of all Walmart customers in Gwinnett County.”

Walmart announced Wednesday that it will require all customers at its stores to wear masks, beginning Monday. The retail giant — along with Best Buy, CVS, Kroger, Kohl’s, Publix, CVS and Target — is one of a growing list of retailers that will mandate face coverings for anyone inside their buildings.

The Gwinnett solicitor general's announcement comes the day after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp voided all local-government orders mandating masks. As of Wednesday afternoon, Gwinnett County had reported 12,217 confirmed cases of COVID-19, more than any other Georgia county.

Whiteside told Patch he wants to protect harried Walmart employees, who he predicts will have to contend with “supposedly mature adults” looking for a fight.

“People actually treat you pretty good at Walmart,” Whiteside said. “Why would you go there and cause a disturbance? They don’t want to fight you. Just wear a mask.”

Besides, private entities such as retailers have the right to decide how people behave on their property, he said.

“You have a choice to be there, you have a choice not to be there,” he said, “and if you cause a disturbance, they have a right to ask you to leave.”

While the solicitor general has no authority to actually arrest anybody, Whiteside said his office will make recommendations based on police investigations.

“If you put your hands on someone in Walmart, I’m going to recommend you go to jail,” Whiteside told Patch. “That’s their house.”

Why? It’s simply a matter of showing respect while in someone else’s house.

“It’s like your grandma telling you to take off your shoes in her house,” he said. “It’s just how I was brought up.”

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