Businesses ahead of the curve on masks now warming to ditching them

Well before the province implemented its mandatory indoor mask order in November, a number of businesses were exceeding public health measures to protect staff and customers from COVID-19.

As the government plans to unmask the province, some of those businesses appear ready to do the same.

Rebellion Brewing in Regina started requiring face coverings last summer. This year, company president Mark Heise does not see a need to go above and beyond public health orders once they loosen.

As long as current trends continue, with declining case counts and increasing vaccination rates, he is comfortable with the lifting of the mask mandate.

“I see no reason why we would implement additional protocols. We would be happy to follow the government orders,” Heise said.

Under Step Three of the government’s Re-Opening Roadmap, most remaining public health restrictions will be lifted. The indoor mask mandate will lift three weeks after the start of Step Two and three weeks after 70 per cent of those 12 and older have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. That could happen as early as July 11.

Heise says he is at ease with that direction because the province is in a different situation from last fall, when the weather was turning colder and people were beginning to spend more time indoors, where the risk of spreading COVID is higher. Back then, people were getting sick and dying so Heise said he had to act.

“Last year, we took a different approach because the numbers were skyrocketing and the public health rules were not being adjusted accordingly,” he said. “I had to do it for the sake of my own staff.”

At the time, members of Heise’s staff faced verbal abuse from some customers angered by the company’s policy. More recently, workers at the ice cream parlour Dessart Sweets were harangued by patrons who disagreed with the business’s request that masks be worn inside and while standing in line to order.

Heise says it creates tension for all when it falls on individual businesses to set their own public health rules.

“It’s going to be very confusing. It’s very stressful for everyone from business owners to staff to customers and so you’d rather avoid that,” he said.

The Ukrainian Co-op started requiring masks in July 2020 because of its small building. While there were a few upset customers, general manager Carin Rodgers said most appreciated the rule.

“I think it made it easier once the government mandated masks because then everybody had to follow the same rule,” she said.

Rodgers hasn’t decided what will happen once the mask order lifts, whether on July 11 or after. She’s leaning toward leaving it up to the individual. But it’s likely masks will still be offered at the door, along with hand sanitizer.

The province says even once the mask order is lifted, people should still feel comfortable — so they can wear one if they choose. Rodgers expects that to be the case.

“I think that everybody’s got to have to learn to respect the individual choices that everybody’s going to be making after this because there will be probably some people that will never feel safe being out without a mask again,” she said.