Milwaukee Public Market introduces universal mask policy
The Milwaukee Public Market has implemented a universal masking policy after three employees at St. Paul Fish Co. tested positive for the coronavirus.
The three employees, who all wore masks while working at St. Paul, tested positive after attending a party outside of work, said owner Tim Collins.
“We can’t control what employees do outside of work,” said Collins who owns the restaurant and adjoining tiki bar.
The virus did not spread among employees — only the employees who attended the party tested positive, he said. The two additional employees with positive coronavirus tests were asymptomatic.
All other employees who worked closely with the infected employees did not return to work until a negative test was confirmed.
To Collins, this is a sign that masking works at limiting the spread of coronavirus.
“People should wear masks,” he said. “It’s not a big deal and it helps.”
The 50 or so employees at St. Paul Fish Co. are all incentivized to be tested routinely for the virus.
Collins has told employees that everyone who is tested for COVID-19 will receive a $1 per hour increase in pay for that week. Employees will also be paid for an additional half-hour of work for every week they are tested. Collins said he spent around $20,000 preparing to
reopen the restaurant and bar spaces with plexiglass dividers, sanitizing stations and masks.
Collins has ordered a lifeguard chair for the outdoor bar area for an employee to sit with a whistle and monitor social distancing.
“The problem, is people being people,” Collins said.
New masking policy in effect
Starting Friday, the Milwaukee Public Market implemented a masking policy requiring all visitors to wear masks. The market will provide a free mask to customers if needed.
Since it reopened in early June, only employees were required to wear masks while it was “encouraged” for customers, said Milwaukee Public Market Executive Director Paul Schwartz. About half of customers did not wear masks, Schwartz said.
“If you don’t require it, it just becomes an option,” Schwartz said. “We were caught off guard by how many people were opting out of it.”
A few hundred masks have been distributed by the market since the new policy took effect Friday, Schwartz said.
Schwartz and Collins said they would support a city-wide masking policy inside public spaces. Other restaurants and bar operators have told the city to take the measure.
The Milwaukee Independent Restaurant Coalition wrote to Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Common Council President Cavalier Johnson to call on the city “to mandate the wearing of masks in all public spaces” like grocery stores, theaters, museums, restaurants and bars.
“If you have a municipal order behind it, it carries a lot of weight,” Schwartz said. “From an operational perspective, if customers already knew that it was law then it would be easier to support citywide.”
St. Paul was the second vendor at the Third Ward market to have an employee test positive for the virus.
In late May, an employee at the vegan stand On The Bus tested positive, Schwartz said.
On The Bus temporarily shut down until all employees tested negative, Schwartz said.
The market is not counting customers as they arrive to limit capacity but counting during peak times. Schwartz said the market has not been close to hitting 25% capacity as limited by the City of Milwaukee.
The market had record attendance in 2019 with 2.03 million customer visits.
Second level seating remains closed. The market added additional outdoor seating.