As of Saturday, Aug. 29 customers of Mark's No Frills, 210-5th Ave., will be required to wear face masks or face coverings.

Late yesterday afternoon, the major Cochrane grocer made the announcement as part of a Canada-wide decision by Loblaws Companies Limited, a network of corporate and independently-operated stores in Canada, including Real Canadian Superstore, No Frills, Independent, Extra Foods and City Market.

"Starting Saturday, August 29, 2020 masks or face coverings will be mandatory at all No Frills locations,"  Mark's No Frills posted late yesterday afternoon. "We appreciate your support as we work together to stop the spread of COVID-19."

Currently, there's no word on whether the policy will soon extend to other Loblaws companies, like Shoppers Drug Mart, which requires the use of face masks in Alberta and Ontario when mandated by local health authorities. 

Walmart was the first major grocer in Cochrane to make face masks mandatory on Aug. 12. It was part of a decision to make it mandatory in all 408 locations across the country and followed an similar announcement a month earlier for its US locations.