B.C. is only a few weeks into the mandatory mask mandate issued by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
That order, signed into law Nov. 24, requires the donning of a medical or non-medical mask in all public indoor spaces; exceptions apply to children under 12, those with certain health or cognitive conditions and when people are eating or drinking, among others.
A big question people had when it was issued was how would it be enforced if some folks decided not to follow it, and who would have to do the dirty work in telling people to put on a mask.
A major concern was the job of getting customers to put on a mask in stores would be left up to staff who are already putting themselves at risk by working during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In recent weeks, the mandatory mask policy has led to some high-profile conflicts at businesses across B.C. In one instance, a Walmart employee was violently assaulted after he asked for a customer to put on a mask; in another, a similar request led a customer to spit upon a worker, triggering a heart attack and sending her to hospital.
Dealing with people who stubbornly refuse to wear a mask is not an easy task.
It’s in this light that Save-On-Foods, which operates multiple stores in Burnaby, says it’s using an education-first approach.
In an email to Glacier Media, a spokesperson for Save-On-Foods said the safety and security of staff and customers remains a high priority for the grocery chain.
Staff members, added the spokesperson, are especially vigilant around the issue of mask usage “given the increasing escalation in tensions and violence in the workplace being driven by the emotions around COVID-19 and its related restrictions.”
In an education-first approach, the spokesperson said the grocery store has posted signage at the door, offers face masks at their service desks and plays pre-recorded PA announcements regarding in-store mask usage.
“We cannot make assumptions about our customers and are cognizant that we don’t always know on the surface if the customer has a condition that prevents them from wearing a mask,” added the spokesperson.
“We are following the orders of our public health officials and expect our customers to do the same.”
This corporate response follows a complaint from Save-On-Foods customer Michael Lasruk, who said he witnessed a woman checking out without a mask. (See the photo above.)
“My initial thoughts were, masks must not be mandatory anymore, so I asked the security guard at the entrance to the store,” wrote Lasruk in an email.
Lasruk said the security guard said they do not enforce a mandatory mask policy, or “even verbally request customers wear masks.” Instead, staff defer to signs posted at the door and leave the enforcement up to police.
Lasruk ended up contacting RCMP (this incident happened in Coquitlam) and was referred to the city about it.
So, basically, in real-time it’s unlikely that an outside authority can deal with someone not wearing mask. That leaves it in the hands of individual stores to enforce the policy.
I see where Save-On-Foods is coming from. I feel terrible for staff having to deal with someone who might freak out on them for being asked to wear a mask. And yet, the rules do need to be enforced so I hope more will be done to follow this health order.
I just don’t get why some people can't wear a mask for 10 minutes. I really don’t.
- With files from Stefan Labbé and Diane Strandberg, Tri-City News
