The dilemma arose abruptly after Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday afternoon that the state will lift its mask mandate and allow all companies to operate at 100% of their capacity as of March 10th.
Some companies barely had a chance to reopen after last month’s deadly winter storm and power outage crisis before hearing this massive change to the state’s COVID-19 security protocols. .
“I think we’ll probably lose guests depending on the decision we make, but I guess it’s just a part of the environment we’re in,” said Jessica Johnson, general manager of Sichuan House in San Antonio. “It’s that you wear masks and you annoy a couple of people, or you don’t wear masks and you annoy a couple people.”
At least one employer, Macy Moore of HopFusion Ale Works in Fort Worth, told CNN Wednesday that she hadn’t slept since Abbott’s announcement because she is very concerned about the health and safety of her staff. Others, such as Anne Ng of Bakery Lorraine in San Antonio, have decided to keep mask requirements on staff and customers regardless of what Abbott and the state government say.
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“By revoking the mandate, the government puts everyone at risk and the food service workers are sadly at the forefront of the possible hostility of the people who will refuse to respect our mask policy,” Ng said. . “We don’t deserve it.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, last week introduced legislation that would prevent any business entity from being responsible for exposing people to pandemic diseases. This provision of House Bill 3 is one of Abbott’s top priorities for this year’s legislative session. The governor was joined by Burrows in Lubbock on Tuesday when he announced plans to rescind many coronavirus restrictions against the board of federal and local health officials.
Health experts are still demanding that jeans continue to wear masks as new and more contagious variants of the virus appear. Hospitalizations continue to decline after record highs in January, but the state also continues to average more than 200 deaths a day.
As the state’s mask mandate will officially end next week, statewide mask requirements are now greatly reduced to decisions made by Texas companies. Many went on social media to announce their intentions to continue needing masks, while others have said they feel powerless to enforce a rule without state protection or support.
Christine Ha, Xin Chao’s partner and co-executive chef in Houston, sent a notice Wednesday afternoon to all of her staff that the restaurant would continue to need masks and operate at a reduced capacity. However, he expressed concern about enforcing these policies because local agencies and law enforcement no longer have to support the safety requirements of his restaurant.
“This leaves my team in charge of implementing these policies and they are engaged in the hospitality industry, not the police,” Ha said.
Still, other business owners stressed that all they can do right now is try to stay healthy and safe for both themselves and their staff. In a pandemic world full of so many unknowns, many choose to focus on what they can control.
Kristina Zhao, owner of Sichuan House in San Antonio, said most of her clients have remained loyal and supportive over the past year and that deciding to hold a mask mandate will not deter that spirit.
“From my point of view, I can’t worry about bothering people because we try to make a decision that is better for our team and for the long-term sustainability of our business,” Zhao said.
Zhao also questioned whether Abbott’s announcement would really change the current dynamic in Texas. Many grocery stores and other businesses across the state have already faced frequent clashes with customers who refused to wear masks and anyone who wants to dine indoors has already had a chance to do so, though than with a mask when not sitting and with reduced capacity.
However, some companies have already reported reactions from social media users to 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” has already established itself in comments on the restaurant’s social media.
“If you don’t want to put on a mask, that’s fine, we can respect that,” Dobbertin said. “Please don’t come to eat at our establishments, but don’t come to the restaurant and try to fight us.”
On Tuesday, HEB announced that customers should no longer wear a mask from March 10, according to Abbott’s order, although the chain encourages them to continue doing so. But days later, HEB issued a statement saying, “The use of masks in our stores will remain.” Kroger will require all employees and customers to wear masks until all supermarket workers have access to the COVID-19 vaccine, according to corporate affairs manager April Martin.
Most low-wage workers in Texas, who are often people of color, have not had opportunities to work from home during the pandemic. Front-line workers in industries such as health care, construction and cleaning services, social services, public transportation, groceries and delivery, and warehouse work are primarily women and people of color.
Colored jeans have been disproportionately killed by the virus and affected by its recession over the past year. Advocates have reported that these communities have also lagged behind in vaccination efforts. And black and Hispanic jeans are much more concerned about coronavirus compared to white jeans, according to a survey published this week in the Texas Tribune-University of Texas.
Ha, of the Chinese Xin Chao of Houston, said that maintaining the safest and healthiest practices is certainly worth the small price of rubbing badly on some customers.
“There are a lot of people who prefer restaurants to continue to follow COVID security protocols, and these people are more likely to frequent and support restaurants like ours,” Ha said. “So we lose some, we gain others. I’m fine with myself.”
The video above is from a previous story.
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