First, airlines started to require that passengers and employees wear masks or cloth coverings for their faces in response to the current 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic. Then, lodging companies started following the lead of the American Hotel and Lodging Association — which is an organization that represents the lodging industry in the United States — which released a checklist of guidelines for the standardization of the safety experience of both guests and employees of hotel and resort properties throughout the United States on Thursday, July 16, 2020…
Update August 4 2020: Face Masks Required at These Rental Car Facilities in the United States
…and now, additional rental car companies are requiring that masks or cloth coverings for the face be worn in their facilities effective as of Tuesday, August 4, 2020 since this original article was posted on Wednesday, July 22, 2020.
For example, National Car Rental sent an e-mail message to me earlier today, Tuesday, August 4, 2020 with the following statement, which I have yet to find at its official Internet web site at the time this article was written: “To protect you, our employees and our community, face coverings are now required inside all National locations.”
Masks and coverings for the nose and mouth are also required of both customers and employees at all Enterprise Rent a Car locations.
The rental car companies also include Hertz, with this message posted at its official Twitter account: “Starting July 27, we’re requiring customers and employees to wear masks at our locations. This is one more step we’re taking to ensure your Hertz rental is the safest way to travel.”
Starting July 27, we’re requiring customers and employees to wear masks at our locations. This is one more step we’re taking to ensure your Hertz rental is the safest way to travel.
Learn more: https://t.co/Nribq7UaaC pic.twitter.com/fMOaQCaeks— Hertz (@Hertz) July 22, 2020
Dollar Car Rental — which is a division of Hertz — had the exact same message posted at its official Twitter account: “Starting July 27, we’re requiring customers and employees to wear masks at our locations. This is one more step we’re taking to ensure your Dollar rental is the safest way to travel.”
Starting July 27, we’re requiring customers and employees to wear masks at our locations. This is one more step we’re taking to ensure your Dollar rental is the safest way to travel.
Learn more: https://t.co/OWk08TQSAX pic.twitter.com/LihWFWXHlz— Dollar Car Rental (@DollarCars) July 22, 2020
Thrifty Car Rental — which is also a division of Hertz — also had the exact same message posted at its official Twitter account: “Starting July 27, we’re requiring customers and employees to wear masks at our locations. This is one more step we’re taking to ensure your Thrifty rental is the safest way to travel.”
Starting July 27, we’re requiring customers and employees to wear masks at our locations. This is one more step we’re taking to ensure your Thrifty rental is the safest way to travel.
Learn more: https://t.co/Ze6o0o3gdb pic.twitter.com/c6LNF18NdE— Thrifty Car Rental (@thriftycars) July 22, 2020
Summary
At the time this article was written, I have not yet seen any indication that Avis, Budget, or Alamo are following suit — nor has any official policy yet been crafted by the American Rental Car Association, which is an organization that represents the rental car industry in the United States — but employees of all of the rental car companies are required to wear masks or cloth coverings for their noses and mouths at their rental facilities.
However, do not be surprised if they follow suit by adopting policies which require customers to wear masks or cloth coverings for their noses and mouths at their rental facilities sometime as soon as within the next week…
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.
