Leading public health authorities all but beg people to wear them. Local, state, and federal government officials are advocating for, and in two-thirds of states, citizens are required to donate in public. Even the most masked-averse potential “role model,” President Trump, has meanwhile begun one of sports.
The public signals, according to research studies, support for mask mandates by government and most people say they even wear masks to protect others and, in part, themselves, from the deadly coronavirus.
However, research by investigators and media organizations including The Times makes it clear that large numbers of people continue to wear masks in public, even in locations where they are at risk of crime. Please, videos keep popping up on the internet with a handful of shoppers displaying tantrums – or worse, physically threatening or assaulting employees – as they are told that mask-wearing is mandatory in supermarkets, shoe stores and cigar shops.
Government upgrades efforts to increase mask mandates
As public health groups and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden push for a federal mask mandate, state and local officials have approved a number of schemes to support their initial mask mandates.
In Illinois, where a mask mandate was first imposed in May, Gov. JB Pritzker earlier this month passed a law making it a crime to attack workers as “public health advocacy,” as requiring customers to wear masks or exercise social distance. Pritzker also issued a rule penalizing companies that do not enforce mask requirements with fines of up to $ 2,500.
“We know that face masks are important in preventing the spread of COVID-19, but it only works if everyone wears them,” said Ngozi Ezike, who heads the state’s public health department. “We see cases increase every day and hear about people who do not follow the masking mandate. This rule is an attempt to keep us all healthy. ”
In Connecticut, an April executive order requiring all people 2 years and older to wear masks in public spaces was increased this month by a requirement that residents who claim to be medically exempt give a doctor’s note.
Several local governments in California have negotiated with businesses and residents for fines for not complying with the statewide mask mandate. After seeing a spike in cases of coronavirus, Yolo County officers can find code companies up to $ 10,000 for not following health orders, including not wearing a mask. Similarly, in the city of Glendale, the failure of a mask in public spaces can cost individuals up to $ 2,000 for a third offense.
Earlier this week, officials in Charleston, SC, renewed a mask policy that was approved in June and approved $ 100 fines for first-time offenders.
What people do against what people say they do
Over the course of the summer, several surveys have signaled that most adults in the U.S. support government mandates and say they wear masks when in public. The Pew Research Center reported in June, for example, that 65% of respondents said they wore a mask in stores or other businesses during the month than most of the time. In July, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey said that 75% of respondents – including 89% of Democrats and 58% of Republicans – preferred face-to-face coverage while outside their homes. One July poll by the Hill / HarrisX found that 82% of registered voters supported a national mask mandate, including 93% of Democrats and 66% of Republicans. A survey by the USC Center for Health Policy and Economics also found a steady upward trend in mask wear in recent weeks, increasing from 8 in 10 in June to 9 in 10 in August.
However, researchers at USC also found that although mask wear appears to be widespread, “many people have not worn it according to recommended guidelines.” The Times immediately observed the behavior of passers-by at three major intersections in Southern California and found that many people in fact do not wear masks in crowded outdoor spaces – even though the failure of a mask in public has been a crime in the state of June .
To date, at least 33 states have required the use of masks in public, according to Masks4All, which advocates the use of dust masks. Most other states provide regulatory coverage to municipalities. That includes Georgia, whose governor, Brian Kemp, recently filed a lawsuit against the mayor and Atlanta city council in an attempt to block restrictions to fight the coronavirus, including a masked mandate from the city.
How worthy are some naysayers left?
In July, a woman at a Skechers shoe store in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma expressed her disgust at her mask policy by throwing boxes of shoes at an employee. Shortly afterwards, the city council approved need ordinance requiring face covering in public places indoors.
But mandates do not always protect essential workers from verbal, or even physical, abuse.
In mid-August, for example, a man at a supermarket in Orange County, California, refused to wear a mask while shopping. When an employee then asked him to leave the store as a result, he bristled and equaled the mask requirements of the state to “Nazism.”
Days earlier, a Tucson man shouted obscenities at employees and other customers at a Sprouts Farmers Market after he was asked to wear a mask. To prevent the conflict from escalating, his son picked him up and carried him out from the store. Notably, the mayor of Tucson issued a proclamation in June calling for face-to-face coverage in public institutions.
Also in August, a woman without a mask at a supermarket in Long Island, NY – where face masks have been required since April – equalized the mandate with communism before continuing. demean and threaten an employee.
In Bethlehem, Penn., On August 1, police arrested Adam Michael Zaborowski, 35, after he allegedly shot a gun at an employee at a cigar store.
According to the Bethlehem Township Police Department, staff informed Zaborowski that all patrons are required to cover their mouths and noses because of COVID-19. They also said that if he was not uncomfortable wearing a mask, they could take his order on the sidewalk. According to police, “Zaborowski became serious, grabbed two cigars from a shelf and walked out of the store without paying.”
An employee followed Zaborowski outside, calling him to return the merchandise. Zabrowski, police said, “turned around, pulled out a semi-automatic rifle and fired one round into the air and then two rounds at the staff.” No one was injured, and Zaborowski fled in a pick-up truck. He was arrested after a shootout with state and local police – all in the midst of a statewide mandate requiring everyone to wear a mask outside the home.
Carrot and stick?
Utah is among the less than 20 states without a statewide mask mandate. Instead, the state government set up an online portal that allowed all residents to request up to six high-quality masks per email address – completely free of charge.
“We wanted the masks to be nice so people could feel proud to wear them,” said Ben Hart, deputy director at the Utah Governor’s Office for Economic Development. Within weeks of launching the initiative, the state government had about one million online commissions – this in a state with about 3.2 million inhabitants.
With the help of the National Guard and religious organizations, state officials targeted their most vulnerable populations. Masks were distributed to non-profit groups that serve the homeless and provide food to the hungry. The “A Mask for Every Utahn” initiative prioritises residents over the age of 65, those with pre-existing health conditions, those who do not speak English as their first language, refugees and those who do not earn a living.
“That was really critical,” Hart said, “because you can mandate [wearing a mask] all day long. You can find people. You can get into a fight. You can confront them on the street. But if they do not have the money to get a mask, it does not matter.”
Utah officials have also partnered with 150 shoppers nationwide, providing each participating establishment with at least 400 masks. In regions where coronavirus transmission occurred, grocery stores received up to 2,000 masks. They were offered for free to customers, who could take them and use them elsewhere.
Utah has now distributed 2.8 million masks at a cost of about $ 15 million dollars. Pointing to the state’s relatively low COVID-19 mortality rate and unemployment rate, he thinks the investment was “worth every penny.”
Public perception, Hart added, is important. Understand that while some people still refuse to buy into wearing masks, many are convinced by multilingual education campaigns, and, in particular, the state’s willingness to spend money on masks.
“It’s about telling our citizen, ‘We care enough to help you understand the reason and also give you access to resources,'” he said.
‘Our perspective here in Utah is that we really provide resources and help people understand the importance, as opposed to a mandate. But we would never criticize a government that has done that, because there is data that shows it works. The question is: Are there even more effective ways to encourage people to wear masks? Do you want to help people with incentives, or do you just want to regulate?
Yet despite Utah’s successes, he added, “it’s hard to argue against” a federal claim, given that “there are still many states where people do not wear masks.”
Indeed, even Utah applies state-level force to K-12 schools. Earlier this week, students and staff learned that they could be charged with a crime if they did not wear masks at school. The move, led by the Utah Education Assn., Is not popular with parents who say they oppose criminal prosecution of minors.
