The dilemma was abruptly forced upon them after Governor Greg Abbott announced Wednesday afternoon that the state will lift its mask mandate and allow all companies to operate at 100% capacity starting March 10.
Some companies barely had a chance to reopen after last month’s deadly winter storm and power outage crisis before hearing of this massive change in the state’s COVID-19 security protocols.
“I feel like we’re likely to lose guests based on whatever decision we make, but I think that’s just part of the environment we’re in right now,” said Jessica Johnson, general manager of Sichuan House in San. Antonio. “Either you wear masks and you piss a few people, or you don’t wear masks and you piss a few people.”
At least one business owner, Macy Moore of HopFusion Ale Works in Fort Worth, said on CNN on Wednesday that he hasn’t slept since Abbott’s announcement because of his concerns about the health and safety of his staff. Others, like Anne Ng of Bakery Lorraine in San Antonio, have decided to enforce mask requirements for staff and customers, regardless of what Abbott and the state government say.
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“By withdrawing the mandate, the government is putting everyone at risk, and the foodservice workers are unfortunately at the forefront of the fight against possible hostility from people who will refuse to respect our mask policies,” said Ng. “We don’t deserve that.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, last week introduced legislation that would prevent corporate entities from being held liable for exposing people to pandemic diseases. That provision in House Bill 3 is one of Abbott’s top priorities for this year’s term. The governor was joined by Burrows in Lubbock on Tuesday when he announced plans to repeal many coronavirus restrictions against the advice of federal and local health officials.
Health experts still urge Texans to keep wearing masks when new and more contagious variants of the virus emerge. Hospital admissions continue to decline from record highs in January, but the state also still suffers an average of more than 200 deaths a day.
With the state’s mask mandate officially ending next week, the mask requirements around the state now largely come down to the decisions of Texas corporations. Many took to social media to announce their intentions to keep demanding masks, while others said they felt powerless to enforce a rule without the protection or support of the state.
Christine Ha, a partner and co-executive chef at Xin Chao in Houston, sent a message to all of her staff on Wednesday afternoon that the restaurant would continue to require masks and operate at reduced capacity. She expressed concern about enforcing that policy, as local agencies and law enforcement no longer have to support her restaurant’s security requirements.
“This leaves it to my team to enforce this policy, and they are concerned with hospitality, not police,” said Ha.
Still, other entrepreneurs stressed that at this point, all they can do is try to keep themselves and their staff healthy and safe. In a pandemic world filled with so many unknowns, many choose to focus on what they can control.
Kristina Zhao, the owner of Sichuan House in San Antonio, said most of her clients have remained loyal and supportive over the past year and the decision to keep a mask mandate wouldn’t deter that encouragement.
“From my point of view, I can’t really worry about upsetting people as we try to make a decision that is best for our team and the long-term sustainability of our company,” said Zhao.
Zhao also wondered if Abbott’s announcement would change current dynamics in Texas. Many supermarkets and other businesses in the state have already regularly faced customers refusing to wear masks, and anyone wishing to dine indoors has already had the opportunity to do so, albeit with a mask when they are not seated and with reduced capacity.
Still, some companies have already reported backlash from social media users over their decision to enforce a mask requirement, despite the governor’s move yesterday. Jennifer Dobbertin, who runs the Best Quality Daughter restaurant in San Antonio, said an “anti-masking crowd” has already settled in the comments on the restaurant’s social media.
“If you don’t want to wear a mask, fine, we can respect that,” Dobbertin said. “Please don’t come and eat at our establishments, but don’t come to the restaurant and try to fight us against it.”
On Tuesday, HEB announced that customers will no longer have to wear a mask from March 10, in accordance with Abbott’s order, although the chain is encouraging them to do so. But days later, HEB issued a statement saying, “The use of masks in our stores will continue.” Kroger will still require all employees and customers to wear masks until all grocery employees have access to the COVID-19 vaccine, corporate affairs manager April Martin said.
Most of the low-paid workers in Texas, who are often people of color, did not have the opportunity to work from home during the pandemic. Front-line workers in sectors such as health care, construction and cleaning services, social services, public transport, groceries and delivery, and warehouse work are predominantly women and people of color.
Texans of color have been disproportionately killed by the virus and hit by the associated recession in the past year. Proponents have reported that these communities have also fallen behind in vaccination efforts. And black and Hispanic Texans are far more concerned about the coronavirus than white Texans, according to a Texas Tribune-University of Texas poll released this week.
Ha, of Houston’s Xin Chao, said that maintaining the safest and healthiest practices remains well worth the small price of rubbing some shoppers the wrong way.
“There are many people who prefer restaurants that continue to follow COVID safety protocols, and these people are more likely to visit and support restaurants such as ours,” Ha said. So we’ll lose some, we’ll win others. I think that’s fine. ‘
The video above is from a previous story.
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