With the exception of certain municipalities taking the matter into their own hands, the lack of government direction on masks has left individual business owners and management to decide for themselves whether or not to require face coverings.
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As Delta variant coronavirus cases surge both locally and beyond, the federal and state governments have declined to institute any form of mask mandate. Gov. Charlie Baker said repeatedly in August he is not putting another mask requirement in place, citing the high coronavirus vaccination rates in Massachusetts relative to other places.
With the exception of certain municipalities taking the matter into their own hands, this has left individual business owners and management to decide for themselves whether or not to require face coverings for their staff and/or customers, and under what circumstances.
“There’s nothing that’s uniform… It’s independent decisions,” said Jeannie Hebert, Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce president and CEO.
Changing guidance released in spring, in light of rising case counts and how the Delta variant was spreading even among vaccinated people, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has recommended masking indoors in public for those areas of the country experiencing either high or substantial transmission, regardless of vaccination status. All Massachusetts counties currently fall under one of those two designations.
With the lack of governmental regulation, some Central Massachusetts business leaders are doing their own risk assessments. Among them is Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, where visitors are once again required to mask while using indoor facilities.
Grace Elton, Tower Hill’s CEO, said the garden destination made the decision after Worcester County was designated as a place of substantial transmission, in the interest of being proactive.
The reception, Elton said, has been mixed. While the garden has received negative comments on Facebook when Tower Hill announced the new masking rule, others expressed gratitude.
“We always look at the clicks,” Elton said, noting while there were negative messages on the post, the number of likes was far greater.
One thing she’s not concerned about is losing any substantial businesses, as some commenters threatened would be Tower Hill’s fate over the masking rule change. Elton said earlier in the pandemic, Tower Hill became a destination for those looking for a safe place to get out of the house and, in most cases, get some fresh air. Requiring masking helped provide that kind of environment.
Hebert, at the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce, said manufacturers in the region are broaching the issue of masking with particular caution as they face a myriad of other challenges not immediately related to workplace transmission of coronavirus. Some are continuing to require unvaccinated staff wear masks indoors, while at least one unnamed manufacturer is cordoning off its plant from the rest of company operations.
“They’re just starting to get back on their feet,” Hebert said. “With all the trouble with the supply chain, they just can’t compound it.”
She hasn’t heard much chatter about reinstituting mandatory mask rules in other sectors in the area, she said.
Making the change
For those in more customer-facing sectors, like Alan MacIntosh, co-owner and co-chef at Doragon Ramen in Ashland, the decision to first reinstitute masks for staff this summer – and plans to require them again soon for customers – was as straightforward as can be.
“The numbers are there, and we’re just pretending like nothing’s happening,” MacIntosh said, adding his restaurant never reopened for indoor dining, opting to provide to-go and outdoor seating options instead.
For MacIntosh, who said he lost a close friend and longtime staff member to COVID-19, keeping people safe is the No. 1 priority. He’s frustrated the state government is not being more aggressive about implementing new masking rules.
“It’s just disappointing ... It always seems that our state operates in a reactionary mode rather than a cautionary mode,” MacIntosh said. “From the beginning of COVID, our state government has seemed to wait and see what other states were doing.”
He expects backlash from customers when he reinstitutes the mask rule for those visiting his business, he said, but he is not nervous.
Staying open
At the end of the day, for much of the business community, which is still feeling the effects of the 2020 nonessential business shutdown and the slow reopening that followed, the priority is centered around keeping their doors open and their companies running.
Staying open safely is the No. 1 goal, said Corridor 9/459 Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Karen Chapman.
“It just goes more toward an individual [decision],” Chapman said of reintroducing mask requirements. “I find a lot of our companies are really following the CDC rules, their recommendations.”
Most businesses are following the recommendation that non-vaccinated employees mask in the workplace, she said, while leaving the option open for those who are inoculated.
The needle does seem to be moving back toward requiring masks, in general, though, Chapman said.
“It’s interesting just to see,” Chapman said. “It’s fascinating to see just the big change in the last two weeks.”
