BATON ROUGE - The popular members-only warehouse chain, Costco is now requiring every individual on its premises to wear a face mask or face shield.

The updated policy was announced Thursday, Nov. 12 with CostCo distributing the following notice to its members:

Effective Nov. 16, 2020, we will require all members, guests, and employees to wear a face mask or face shield at Costco locations. Entry to Costco will only be granted to those wearing a face mask or face shield. Children under the age of 2 are exempt.

Costco has had a face mask policy in effect since May 4, 2020, but members who could not wear a mask due to a medical condition were exempt. This is no longer the case. If a member has a medical condition that prevents them from wearing a mask, they must wear a face shield at Costco.

This updated policy may seem inconvenient to some, however we believe the added safety is worth any inconvenience. Our goal is to continue to provide a safe shopping environment for our members and guests, and to provide a safe work environment for our employees.

Thank you for your cooperation and support.

The announcement comes as the U.S. faces an alarming surge in COVID cases. 

According to the Associated Press, as of Friday, Nov. 12 more than 100,000 new confirmed U.S. cases have been reported daily for more than a week.