The dilemma was suddenly focused on them after Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday afternoon that the state would lift its mask mandate and run all businesses with 100% capacity from March 10.
Some businesses barely had a chance to reopen after the deadly winter storm and power outage crisis last month before hearing about this massive change to the state’s COVID-19 safety protocols.
“I feel like we’ll probably lose guests based on whatever decision we make, but I think it’s just part of the environment we are in now,” said Jessica Johnson, general manager of Sichuan House in San Antonio, said. “Either you wear masks and make some people angry, or you do not wear masks and you make some people angry.”
At least one business owner, Macy Moore of HopFusion Ale Works in Fort Worth, told CNN on Wednesday that he had not slept since Abbott’s announcement because he was so concerned about the health and safety of his staff. Others, like Anne Ng of Bakery Lorraine in San Antonio, have decided to keep mask requirements for staff and customers in place, regardless of what Abbott and the state government say.
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“By repealing the mandate, the government is endangering everyone, and food service workers are unfortunately at the forefront of facing potential hostility from people who will refuse to respect our mask policy,” Ng said. “We do not deserve it.”
Meanwhile, Dustin Burrows’ representative, R-Lubbock, last week introduced legislation that would prevent businesses from being held accountable for exposing people to pandemic diseases. The provision in House Bill 3 is one of Abbott’s top priorities for this year’s legislative session. Burrows joined the governor in Lubbock on Tuesday when he announced plans to lift many coronavirus restrictions against the advice of federal and local health officials.
Health experts are still urging Texans to continue wearing masks as new and more contagious variants of the virus emerge. Hospitalizations continue to decline after record highs in January, but the state also still averages more than 200 deaths a day.
As the state’s masking mandate will officially end next week, masking requirements in the state largely come down to the decisions Texas businesses make. Many have turned to social media to announce their intention to still need masks, while others have said they feel powerless to enforce a rule without state protection or support.
Christine Ha, a partner and co-executive chef at Xin Chao in Houston, sent a notice to her entire staff on Wednesday afternoon that the restaurant will continue to need masks and work at a lower capacity. However, she expressed concern about the application of these policies, as local agencies and law enforcement agencies no longer have to support the safety requirements of her restaurant.
“It allows my team to apply this policy, and that is hospitality and not policing,” Ha said.
More business owners have stressed that all they can do now is try to keep themselves and their staff healthy and safe. In a pandemic world full of so many strangers, many choose to focus on what they can control.
Kristina Zhao, owner of Sichuan House in San Antonio, said most of her customers have remained loyal and supportive over the past year, and the decision to maintain a mask mandate will not deter that encouragement.
“From my point of view, I can not worry about upsetting people, because we are trying to make a decision that is best for our team and for the long-term sustainability of our business,” Zhao said.
Zhao also questioned whether Abbott’s announcement would change the current dynamics in Texas. Many grocery stores and other businesses in the state have regularly encountered customers refusing to wear masks, and anyone who wants to eat indoors has had the opportunity to do so, although with a mask if they do not sit reduced capacity .
Yet some businesses have already reported a backlash from social media users over their decision to maintain a mask requirement despite the governor’s move yesterday. Jennifer Dobbertin, who runs a restaurant called Best Quality Daughter in San Antonio, said an “anti-mask crowd” had already established himself in the restaurant’s social media comments.
“If you do not want to wear a mask, we can respect that,” Dobbertin said. “Please do not come to eat at our establishments, but do not come to the restaurant and try to fight us on it.”
HEB announced on Tuesday that customers will no longer have to wear a mask from March 10, according to Abbott’s directive, although the chain encourages them to continue to do so. But days later, HEB issued a statement saying, “Mask use will continue at our stores.” Kroger will continue to require employees and customers to wear masks until all grocery workers have access to the COVID-19 vaccine, according to April Martin, corporate affairs manager.
Most low-wage workers in Texas, who are often colored, have not yet had the opportunity to work from home during the pandemic. Leading workers in industries such as healthcare, construction and cleaning services, social services, public transport, groceries and deliveries and warehousing are mainly women and people of color.
Coloreds have been excessively killed by the virus and affected by the accompanying recession over the past year. Advocates reported that these communities also fell behind in the vaccination efforts. And black and Hispanic Texans are far more concerned about the coronavirus compared to white Texans, according to a Texas Tribune University poll released this week.
Ha, of Xin Chao, of Houston, said that maintaining the safest and healthiest practices is definitely worth rubbing some customers the wrong way.
“There are a lot of people who prefer restaurants to follow COVID safety protocols, and it’s likely that these people will regularly support and support restaurants like ours,” Ha said. “So we lose some, we’ll win others. That’s fine with me.”
The video above comes from a previous story.
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