Businesses grapple with whether to require masks
Yuma businesses are grappling with whether to require customers to wear masks or not. Business owners must make the decision after the mayor rescinded the city’s mask mandate and the governor lifted restrictions that had been imposed on businesses.
Mayor Doug Nicholls on Thursday rescinded the directive that mandated face coverings in public spaces in the city. The move came after Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order, also on Thursday, dissolving all the restrictions previously imposed on businesses, such as limiting the number of customers to ensure social distancing and requiring that staff and customers wear masks.
It’s now up to the individual businesses to decide whether they will require customers to wear a mask or refuse service to those who don’t, or simply leave it up to customers’ discretion.
It hasn’t been an easy decision for business owners and organizations, as they debate with themselves and
sometimes seek public feedback through social media.
“I have been going back and forth on what is the best course of action for us and our customers,” posted Lisa Males Rivera, owner of Artsy Fartsy, an art studio that hosts “bring your own bottle” paint and sip sessions.
“Customers are sitting for extended periods, not just a quick trip into the studio,” she noted.
In the end, Rivera posted on Facebook that she had decided to cautiously move forward with requiring masks while up and about at the studio. She will “highly encourage” masks while seated but customers can remove them if they wish.
Also, she added, Artsy Fartsy will continue socially distancing groups but will allow more people inside at the same time.
“Many Yumans are still in the process of getting vaccinated, so we will wait before completely loosening all restrictions. I’d rather err on the side of caution and safety for us all,” Rivera noted.
Sam Fritcher, owner of Bare Naked Soap Co., worries about her family’s health, especially a son with a compromised immune system. With about half of the “Bare Naked family” having been vaccinated, Fritcher found herself wrangling with the decision.
“I have the option as a private business owner to still require face coverings, but also run the significant risk of pissing people off, which is never a good thing in business. So, personal feelings aside, what should I do?”
Fritcher wants to err on the side of protecting her family, but she has been reading social media posts from people saying they will picket and not shop at any store that requires a mask.
“As a small business owner, no way can I survive that,” Fritcher said. “It’s a bad situation to be put in. Dumps a tough situation right on our laps.”
She believes that Ducey should have waited longer before lifting the restrictions. “My personal opinion is that if the governor would have waited just one more month, we would have had so many vaccinated. It just now opened up to 16 and older, and truthfully, right now we are at something like 30 percent vaccinated. We needed a bigger head start,” Fritcher said.
La Fonda Restaurant and Tortilla Factory posted the following policy: “In view of the change in mask mandate, we at La Fonda will no longer require our customers to wear a mask. However, our staff will continue to wear their mask while serving you. In addition we will continue to function at 50% seating capacity to ensure a safe distance between tables and guests. We are excited to see your beautiful faces, however, if you choose to continue to wear a mask, we are just as excited to serve you and welcome you wholeheartedly.”
On the other side, the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area announced that it would still require masks. “We may feel like we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, but we as an organization are not quite ready for a victory dance. The Yuma Territorial Prison, Colorado River State Historic Park and the Heritage Area building (Old City Hall) will STILL require facemasks and social distancing until further discussion,” the organization posted.
“We appreciate everyone’s understanding during these trying times and are very thankful for the support you have shown us over this last year! We continue to work hard to keep our employees safe and visitors as well. Help us do that by following our protocols,” it added.
Yuma Regional Medical Center also announced that the healthcare facility would continue to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and require that all employees and visitors wear masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“Masks continue to serve as a critical tool for protecting the health of our patients, employees and visitors to YRMC facilities,” the hospital stated. “We understand that Arizona lifting COVID-19 restrictions for businesses and events may initially cause some confusion. We appreciate our community’s understanding and cooperation as we continue to require the use of masks at all YRMC facilities, including clinics outside of the main hospital.”
Although Nicholls rescinded the mask mandate, the city encouraged the community to continue to be vigilant in efforts to prevent COVID-19 and “be safe and responsible moving forward.” In addition, the city has asked visitors to city buildings to wear face coverings and social distance.
In a Facebook post, San Luis Mayor Gerardo “Jerry” Sanchez urged residents to continue practicing COVID-19 precautions and get tested and vaccinated “to help keep our community safe. Let us not give in to the COVID-19 fatigue,” the mayor said, adding the hashtag #MaskUpSanLuis.