Costco will require all shoppers to wear masks and will return to regular store hours starting on May 4

• Starting May 4, Costco will require all shoppers to wear masks in stores, the chain announced on Wednesday.
• All shoppers will be required to wear masks or face coverings that cover the nose and mouth at all times.
• The store will also return to regular hours on May 4 and expand its exclusive shopping hours for customers above the age of 60.
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Starting May 4, all Costco shoppers will be required to wear a mask in-store, the chain announced on its website on Wednesday.

"To protect our members and employees, effective May 4, all Costco members and guests must wear a mask or face covering that covers the mouth and nose at all times while at Costco," the announcement reads. The policy does not apply to children under the age of two or individuals who have a medical condition that prevents them from wearing a mask.

On Tuesday, the company announced mandatory mask wearing for stores in areas where face masks were required, but then updated the policy on Wednesday to include all stores.

The announcement also included updated shopping hours for customers 60 years and older. Those hours were expanded from three days a week to five days a week, Monday through Friday between 9 am and 10 am, effective May 4. Most Costco stores will also return to regular shopping hours on May 4 after previously reducing store hours.

Costco's announcement comes as over a dozen states start the reopening process, a decision that some health experts say is happening too early. Federal guidelines recommend that states see a steady 14-day decline in new coronavirus cases before beginning the reopening process — a decline that no state has seen yet.