Starbucks requests that customers wear masks as coffee shops reopen

As pandemic restrictions are lifted across the country, Starbucks Canada is ready with a list of protocols which include requiring customers to wear masks inside the coffee shops.

Last month, Starbucks announced they would be resuming operations in as many stores as possible by the end of May. Yesterday, May 11, the coffee giant announced its upcoming changes to protocol. 

All customers who enter the store are asked to wear a mask and follow physical distancing protocols, according to a Starbucks media release.

Starbucks will be resuming grab-and-go services, allowing customers to place an order in the café or on the app for pick-up in store.

Starbucks said all its partners will be required to attend training sessions that will familiarize workers with new safety procedures, including up-to-date guidance on cleaning protocols and how to properly handoff a customer’s beverage while giving them space to safely retrieve it.

To further ensure safety, Starbucks baristas will take their temperature and do a virtual COVID-19 symptom assessment at the start of each shift, the release reads.

Starbucks said it is on track to resume modified operations in 65 per cent of their stores in Canada by the end of this week.

— This story was corrected at 7:20 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13, 2020. Starbucks requests customers wear masks, not requires.


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Brie Welton

Brie is a recent graduate from UBC Okanagan where she studied English and French while managing the campus newspaper. After working as an intern reporter for the summer of 2019 in her home-town of Kelowna, she rejoined the InfoNews team in March 2020 and moved to Kamloops.
Her interests range from food features and artist profiles to politics, crime and minority issues. She has a passion for story-telling and aspires to one day become a full-time court reporter.

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