King Soopers announced on Wednesday that it will begin requiring customers to wear masks in its stores beginning July 22.

“We are taking this extra step now because we recognize additional precautions are needed to protect our community,” the grocery store chain said in a statement. Small children will be exempt from the mandate. Gov. Jared Polis preempted the implementation of the policy by announcing on Thursday an indoor masking order, effective at midnight.

King Soopers also operates in Wyoming, which does not have a mask order.

A spokesperson for King Soopers did not immediately respond to an inquiry about why the store waited so long – two months after Denver first issued its mandate – to take action, even as evidence quickly mounted that masks decrease the likelihood of coronavirus infection. A further question about whether store employees would be in charge of enforcement also went unanswered.

If customers are unable to wear a mask, “we request that they use our ecommerce services like pickup or delivery,” reads the statement. To support all households during the COVID-19 pandemic, our grocery pickup service remains free (generally a $4.95 fee).”

Last month, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 7 organized a motorcade at the Capitol Hill store in Denver to honor the three employees who died of COVID-19 while working for Kroger, the parent company of King Soopers.