MIXED ON MASKS
Business sales in Anadarko unaffected by requirement
Guthrie businesses find their own way to manage mask requirements in the absence of a citywide mask mandate
The spotlight may be on the White House and governor's office, but many mayor sin Oklahoma are in the trenches on a daily basis, trying to keep their citizens safe from COVID-19.
Here in Anadarko, about 50 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, the non- partisan city council approved a mask mandate July 27, doing what some city leaders feel the White House or governor's office should have done months ago.
"It' s so critical to have leadership from the governor's office, from Congress, from the White House, where a nationwide pandemic is being addressed," says Kyle Eastwood, mayor of Anadarko.
He says the country hasn't gotten that leadership.
In Anadarko, banners have been erected on all major roads leading into town, warning travelers they must abide by the town's mask mandate and social distancing orders.
The pandemic needs to be addressed in a way that's consistent for people traveling across state lines, from city to city, Eastwood said, "So you don't have a patchwork of regulations."
Eastwood, elected in 2015 and currently serving his second term, receives no salary as mayor.
Planning ahead
Without consistency in regulations, Eastwood believes it creates an opportunity for one city to infect another.
"We ought to all be stopping the spread," Eastwood said. "But all we can do is our part."
City leaders worry about what they call a "cross-contamination" between cities. People may live here, where there' s am ask order, but work in another city where there is no mandate. And visitors stopping in town for gas, food, or to visit relatives or shop, may bring their germs with them.
"While we' re taking aggressive steps here, other communities are not, " said Kenneth Corn, city manager, who served 12 years as a state senator.
Corn started planning the city' s response in late February. He ordered sanitizer, disinfectant and masks and made it available to those who needed it.
"My staff thought I was crazy," he said. "But if a small town like ours with limited resources could see the problem coming months ago, why couldn't the White House?"
Controlling the spread
On July 27, a mask mandate was passed in Anadarko by a vote of 5 to 1 in a special meeting, but not without heated discussion.
Corn estimates compliance is between 90-95%.
Although some in town still oppose the order, people here seem unusually compatible and agreeable with it.
"Folks here are more willing to look out for their neighbors and not just themselves than in other places," Corn said.
Native Americans represent about half of Anadarko's population, which numbers about 6,700. Eastwood commends the tribal leaders for seven nations headquartered there as all have worked well with one another on the COVID challenges.
Corn receives data daily on Anadarko's ZIP Code f rom the Caddo County Health Department, and posts it on the city's Facebook page.
According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, as of Sunday, Anadarko reported
249 total cases with five deaths. I n all of Caddo County, 561 total cases were r e ported with 20 deaths.
T o m a k e s u r e n e w i n f e c t i o n s s t a y d o wn, the city sends out “code enforcers” and police to make spot checks.
No one is looking for a confrontation, but violators are handed a mask to wear. So far, Corn says, those asked to wear a mask have been cooperative.
Business restrictions
Especially i mportant under the mandate is the requirement that employees working at businesses selling “goods and services” must also wear a mouth covering unless a barrier or sneeze guard separates them from the public.
“What we would hear from a lot of ... employees and managers is that their companies wouldn't allow t hem t o r equire masks unless the city had orders t o d o s o , ” Co r n s a i d . “Most of t hem wanted a mandate into place for their own safety and for t heir customers. Some wanted i t . . . but didn't want to be the `bad guy' for their customer. ... It was easier if the city took the stance.”
E a s t wo o d s a y s h e ' s willing to be the “bad” guy with a city ordinance requiring the masks but it's more effective if the mandate comes from the s t a t e or White House. As an attorney in private practice, Eastwood said, “It's been a struggle for all of us business owners.”
But lack of customers hasn't been the problem for one downtown store in Anadarko. The problem is lack of merchandise.
George's Department Store is Anadarko's oldest clothing and shoe store and has a loyal customer base s i nce i t ' s been i n business for more than 70 years. The popular store was closed for six weeks but “business has been pretty steady” since it reopened, says store owner Stephen Salamy.
Their biggest challenge has been receiving merchandise shipments from overseas. Goods are taking longer due to COVID-19 precautions.
Salamy, an OKC radiol ogist , and hi s s i s t er , Pamela Salamy, a retired s c h o o l t e a c h e r f r o m Moore, inherited the store when their father, George, died six years ago.
Pamela Salamy, store manager, says business hasn't suffered with local s hoppers because t hey want to shop locally.
“I t ' s s i mpl e r , s a f e r , they're not traveling as much,” she said.
Revenues and mandates
Sales data from the city treasurer's office supports this theory.
J u l y ' s r e p o r t — t h e latest available — shows significant i ncreases i n both sales and use taxes.
In July 2020, incoming revenue from sales taxes — l ocal t ransactions i n t own, l i ke t he gr ocer y s t o r e — was u p a b o u t $50,000 from a year ago. In July of this year, more than $240,900 was collected compared to nearly $191,700 a year ago.
U s e t a x e s , r e v e n u e coll ected f r om on- l i ne shopping and purchased out of t own but deli vered here — were nearly $ 2 3 , 900, c o mpared t o about $15,500 in July 2019.
Opponents of mask mandates frequently contend it would be detrimental to business and the economic recovery as retailers gradually re-open.
Eastwood, the mayor, disagrees, saying mask mandates make it safer to shop.
“All of these regulations are a bit of a nuisance to p e o p l e , a n d I t h i n k i n some ways make commerce more difficult, but it makes commerce safer.
“We take these regulations seriously. ... It's not something that's done on a whim,” Eastwood said. “I think that the average citizen, if given the choice between s hopping i n a store with a mask mandate, and shopping i n a store with no protection, would choose the store with safety precautions.”
Eastwood s a ys years ago, stores posted signs which stated “No shirt, no shoes, no service.”
“This i s no different, and we've abided by that for years,” says Eastwood. “Why not add `no mask', making i t ` no s ervice,' too.”