While some Jefferson County residents stew over discussions about wearing face masks to curb the spread of COVID-19, the leader of a group that represents county businesses wants people to know where merchants stand in the debate.
“I’ve talked with a lot of the business owners in the county over the last few weeks, and they’re totally in support of doing whatever it takes so they don’t have to go through another shutdown,” said Todd Tracy, executive director of the Jefferson County Economic Development Corporation.
“Right now, the Jefferson County Health Department and the CDC (federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) are saying the best things to do are to wear masks if you can’t social distance, and businesses are totally in support of that.”
Tracy said a recent post on the EDC’s Facebook page that said the agency supported the Health Department’s recommendation for people to wear masks was widely accepted by county merchants.
“We had 50 shares and 49 comments the other day, most of them in favor,” he said. “There were 233 likes and 23 loves, with only 21 laughing emojis.”
He said many of the merchants he’s spoken with want to avoid what happened in the spring, when stay-at-home orders were instituted, allowing only essential businesses to operate and preventing restaurants from serving patrons in dining rooms.
“They agree that even though they might have survived that for a few weeks in the spring, they won’t be able to make it through another one,” Tracy said. “Yes, they’re thinking about their bottom lines, but they’re also thinking of their employees. So I would say they’re definitely in support of what the Health Department is doing to keep us away from having another shutdown. That doesn’t right now include a (countywide) mask mandate, but if it does, that’s better than a shutdown order. So that’s why you’re seeing a lot of businesses require masks of their employees and signs that really encourage their customers to wear them as well. If you want to keep the economy going, that’s a way to show it.”
Tracy said when major retailers like Walmart, Target, Schnucks, Lowe’s and Home Depot announced they would require customers to wear masks, that made it easier for smaller, local merchants to follow suit.
“They (smaller businesses) were afraid of losing business by putting requirements in, but the move from the larger stores has helped,” Tracy said. “In the end, shopping is a safer experience for both the public and for employees.”
Tracy said those who bristle at the thought of a countywide mask mandate instituted by government should look at those put into place by stores differently.
“Every business has the right to institute its rules of sales, and if they want to follow the guidelines of the Jefferson County Health Department and the CDC, they have that right,” he said. “Every business seems as if it’s handling it a little differently, but I think they’re taking their social responsibility seriously. They want people to feel safe in their stores. Businesses are stepping up, because they know that if they don’t, they’ll have to shut down again.
“Of course, customers have the right to come and go as they please as well, as they always have,” he said.
