Several major retailers — including Kroger, H-E-B, Target and Walmart — are now allowing employees to wear face masks and gloves while working during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The move comes as retailers nationally are rethinking policies banning employees from wearing masks and gloves, fearing customers might find them unsettling or worse, that stores are forcing sick employees to work.

After facing pressure from the public and employee unions — and as federal health officials consider recommending more widespread use of masks — several retailers are now permitting and even providing masks and gloves to employees.

Target on Thursday said it will supply its more than 350,000 employees with face masks and gloves at the beginning of every shift and “strongly encourage” that they are worn at work. These “high-quality, disposable” masks will be made available to employees at its stores, distribution centers as well as Shipt delivery workers within two weeks.

“The measures we’re announcing today are aimed at ensuring we are creating a safe environment for the guests who continue to turn to Target, while also providing our team with additional resources as they fulfill an essential service in communities across the country,” John Mulligan, Target’s chief operating officer, said in a statement.

H-E-B on Wednesday said employees may wear face masks and gloves, provided masks are kept clean and gloves are changed frequently. Employees must wash their hands before and after each use.

“While at work, some partners may choose to wear gloves and masks for their own peace of mind; however, this does not indicate they are sick,” Winell Herron, H-E-B’s group vice president of public affairs, said in an email. “In fact, if a partner feels ill, they are immediately directed to stay home.”

Walmart on Tuesday said it is sending face masks and gloves to arrive in one to two weeks at all of its stores, discount clubs and distribution centers. Once the masks arrive, any employee who wishes to use them may do so. The masks are not N-95 masks, which filter out 95 percent of airborne particulates, but are “high-quality” masks, the retailer said.

“While the CDC and other health officials do not recommend masks or gloves for healthy people who don't ordinarily use them for their jobs, we will make them available — as supplies permit — for associates who want to wear them,” Walmart and Sam’s Club executives John Furner and Kath McLay said in a joint statement. “We encourage anyone who would like to wear a mask or gloves at work to ask their supervisor for them, while keeping in mind that it is still possible to spread germs while wearing them.”

Kroger over the weekend said its employees are permitted to wear face masks and gloves and are advocating that government officials prioritize access to personal protective equipment for grocery workers after health care workers.

“Our associates are on the front lines, ensuring Americans have access to the food, services and products they need during this unprecedented pandemic,” Kroger spokeswoman Clara Campbell said in a statement. “We are committed to protecting the health and safety of our associates.”

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Public health officials have repeatedly discouraged average Americans from using a face mask to prevent catching the coronavirus, instead encouraging people to wash their hands frequently, disinfect surfaces and cover their mouths while sneezing or coughing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization advise people to wear masks only if they are displaying symptoms of the coronavirus or are taking care of someone suspected of having the virus.

However, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a recent interview with CNN that federal officials are looking at more widespread use of masks to reduce community transmission, particularly among those infected with the virus but are showing no symptoms.

Meantime, retailers have taken several steps to protect employees from the coronavirus, which has sickened more than 857,600 people and killed more than 42,000 people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

The retailers have installed hand sanitizing stations, Plexiglas partitions at cash registers and floor decals at checkout lanes to promote social distancing. They have also reduced store hours to allow employees more time to rest, clean stores and restock inventory, and in some cases have limited the number of customers shopping in a store at one time.

In addition, the retailers have temporarily raised hourly wages and expanded sick leave during the outbreak. Curbside pickup customers are asked to stay inside their vehicles while their grocery orders are being loaded into the trunk.

Walmart is also sending infrared thermometers to all of its stores, discount clubs and distribution centers. Once the thermometers arrive, the retailer said it will begin taking the temperature of its employees as they report to work. Any employee with a temperature of 100 degrees or higher will be paid for reporting to work but asked to return home and seek medical treatment if necessary. The employee will not be able to return to work until they are fever-free for at least three days.