No, Walmart Isn't Displaying Unvaccinated Customers In Plastic Cubicles Like Zoo Animals

Another day, another COVID-19 rumour. Walmart Canada has shot down claims it was sticking unvaccinated pharmacy customers in plexiglass cubicles after photos of human-height plastic screens began circulating online.

Quebec began requiring stores with an area of at least 1,500 square metres, such as Walmart and Canadian Tire, to screen customers for their proof of vaccination on January 24. The only exceptions are stores that offer grocery and pharmacy services.

The new rule was met with some confusion. Walmart Canada initially claimed it would be exempt from the vaccine passport system, but later said it would "take time to carefully analyze" the government order and its application in the store.

Confusion and misinformation continued on the first day of the new measure. Social media photos showing plexiglass barriers inside Walmart led some, including the Conservative Party of Quebec, to claim that the store was using them as a waiting area for unvaccinated pharmacy customers.

PconservateurQc | Twitter

"This is what the cubicles for the unvaccinated look like in @Walmart this morning!" the party tweeted on January 24. "They are put aside for everyone to see and they have to wait for an employee to pick them up to go to the pharmacy."

Walmart put out a statement denying the claim the next day.

"This is false," the store said in response to the tweet from the conservative party. "The dividers are for associates when they scan vaccine passports." An accompanying photo shows an employee standing inside a cubicle by the entrance to the store.

The Conservative Party appears to have deleted its original tweet.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.