State and National News Impacting AFS 

Two developing stories continue to affect Associated Food Stores (AFS), its member retailers and team members. 

On Friday evening, the Salt Lake County Health Department issued a public health order requiring people in Salt Lake County, regardless of vaccination status or past COVID-19 infection, to wear well-fitting masks when indoors in public. The order went into effect on Saturday, January 8, and is currently planned to be in force until Monday, February 7, 2022.  

While working in the AFS corporate office, or at retail locations, please abide by the mask mandate and company policies. Masks should be worn when entering or exiting the corporate office and when not at one’s workspace. Masks can be removed, briefly, to eat or drink. They may also be removed if isolated in a room or when alone in a vehicle. For team members who need to work in the office, surgical-grade masks are available in Team Services. 

Another story AFS is monitoring closely deals with OSHA’s ETS (Emergency Temporary Standard). Oral arguments before the Supreme Court regarding the Biden administration’s vaccine-or-test mandate for employers with 100 or more employees were held on Friday, January 7.  

AFS leaders are keeping close watch as news from the court is expected soon, potentially in the coming hours or days. The high court is deciding whether to issue a stay of OSHA’s ETS effectively barring the mandate from being enforced. Many of the employer requirements of the ETS, except for the vaccine-or-testing component, went into effect on Monday, January 10.  

AFS has plans in place and is well-positioned to respond as more information arrives. AFS will distribute additional communication as soon as the Supreme Court makes its announcement.