As COVID-19 continues as a real and present danger, and with multiple, more violent strains of the virus now spreading across the country, public health orders continue to play a critical role in keeping us all safe.
In recent weeks there seems to be a larger number of Chaffee County community members refusing to wear facemasks while shopping. This is coupled with many businesses not reinforcing the mask mandate with either their customers or employees. Ark Valley Voice has compiled a list of community members’ stories; people who have experienced businesses not complying with the mask mandate. We asked ourselves, are you willing to shop in a business that does not have the community’s health and safety in mind? All stories have occurred within the month of January and all identities will remain anonymous.
Salida Stove and Spa
One local explained that he and his wife went to Salida Stove and Spa in Poncha Springs. They recall there being no marked signs and the female owner did not wear a mask. None of the backroom employees were wearing masks as well.
Buena Vista Tractor Supply
Another local explained that she is a once-a-week, regular customer at Tractor Supply. She explained that multiple customers were roaming around and checking out with no facemasks. She notes that employees were wearing masks and that there was a hand sanitizer setup. A few maskless customers were standing around just past the register as her line continued to check out. She asked the employee when it was her turn to check out, why they were allowing customers to get by without wearing facemasks, he shrugged.
The message is clear in Buena Vista and bolstered by the state mandate concerning Covid-19: Please wear your mask.
She reminded him that she might have to shop somewhere else from then on if they were not going to enforce facemask and social distancing rules. He shrugged again.
During the conversation, two customers not wearing facemasks looked in her direction, made audible comments and one swore at her. This was not the first time she observed this behavior there and says this was just the latest and the most threatened she felt by those not following public health orders.
Ace Hardware in Salida
One local went to Ace in search of potting material and to have a key made. When entering, none of the employees were wearing masks; some employees put them on after he entered the store. While the key was being made, employees not close to the front of the store continued to not wear masks and one passed out cake on paper plates.
While he was checking out, the employee passing out the cake leaned over him to give the cashier a piece of cake, without a mask on. Though he did not feel threatened, there was a blatant disregard for the public health orders, and he will not continue giving them his business.
Walmart
Upon entering, she noticed two younger men, one with a mask, one without. The one without took a mask at the door and once he was in the back of the store, she noticed that both took them off and proceeded to pass employee after employee without comment. On another trip, she noticed a family of four, all without masks. The children looked to be older than 10, the age the mask mandate requires children to wear masks. None of the employees working asked the family to leave or put on a mask. In the self-checkout line, one female employee even went as far as to help them check out without any comments or repercussions. Since this encounter, she has tried to find items elsewhere but due to the lack of choices within the county, she must still give them her business.
While checking out another Walmart customer was jostled by a customer behind her who was not wearing a facemask. She asked the customer to back up and put on a mask and the woman said “On honey, I can’t breath in a facemask,” and ignored the need for social distance. The checkout person said nothing, including even asking the woman to back up six feet.
Natural Grocers
Natural Grocers has had several instances of facemask violations: https://arkvalleyvoice.com/natural-grocers-reveals-a-not-so-safe-stance-salida-police-clarify-facemask-enforcement/.
If you have stories of businesses either complying with or ignoring the mask mandate, email ArkValleyVoice@gmail.com to share them.
It should be noted that Chaffee County Public Health has brought up the need for some consequences for businesses that are not adhering to COVID-19 public health orders and, citing fairness; noting that some businesses have gone to great lengths to ensure public safety, while others continue to flaunt the health orders. The Chaffee Board of County Commissioners has discussed this at least three times, but so far has not proceeded with any tangible actions that would hold businesses accountable for obeying COVID-19 public health orders.
How about a report on businesses that are keeping customers and employees safe. I recommend the Hodgepodge as one. Thanks for your great reporting.
It might be a good idea to wait until you’ve left the premises before calling the store and telling the manager himself that he’s lost a customer.
I’m not giving my name because we obviously have too many uneducated, misguided, violent people in our county.
Take it for what it’s worth.
I have reached the conclusion that all one can do about business establishments not enforcing mask wearing is to vote with one’s feet. It is challenging but not impossible to obtain necessities at this time. In our house we have done without some items we would like to have and have done more planning to minimize the number of trips to stores. I have sympathy for store employees whom patrons expect to become “mask police.” I doubt that was in their employment contract when they signed up for the job and has led to verbal and physical assault of employees in some places.
If only this were as trivial as Chevy Chase, the “mattress police” in the movie “Fletch.” At least we now have Federal support for mask wearing.
I don’t go many places these days – mostly just the City Market and BV Post Office once a week, and also picking up takeout at several local restaurants, including Sorelles, La Herradura, Jade Garden, Brown Dog, Eddyline, Elkhorn Pizza and others, or stopping at Rally Liquor for a sixer.
Generally, all of those places do a good job of following the mask mandates. The employees are complying, and they have signs on the doors notifying customers of the mask mandate.
I don’t think it is fair or reasonable to expect the employees or owners of these businesses to physically enforce the mask mandate when so many of the anti-mask types are prone to violence. As you noted in the article, some of them can’t tolerate the mere presence of a mask-wearer without succumbing to trash-talking, and we’ve all seen the videos of anti-mask types losing their minds and attacking people when someone asks them to either put on a mask, or leave. Someone working at a retail job shouldn’t be expected to risk being attacked by some always-angry anti-masker with a loose grip on his impulse control.
Here’s my take. When I’m in public, I equate “no mask” with “red hat”, as there is a lot of overlap between the two groups. A red hat, and someone refusing to wear a mask in the grocery store, both send the same message – “Avoid this person”. It’s a handy way to judge a book by its cover, and we might as well get used to it, because the anti-mask types aren’t going anywhere, except maybe into an early grave after they catch the Rona and die from pneumonia.