As COVID cases rise in SLO County, how do we deal with anti-maskers who refuse to cover up?

Even before Sheriff Ian Parkinson told a Tea Party audience he would not be enforcing the statewide order requiring face masks, it was apparent that local law enforcement agencies would not be acting as “mask police.”

But Parkinson took that a step further, by legitimizing the idea that wearing a mask is optional.

“If you chose to wear one, great for you,” he said. “If you chose not to wear one, great for you.”

And here’s the kicker. The sheriff said he wears a mask when he goes grocery shopping, but gave this as his reason: “If I’m not wearing that mask, somebody’s going to take a picture of me and I’m going to be on the front of the local paper.”

Nothing said about the real reason for the mask rule: that face coverings are critical to preventing the spread of COVID-19.

In fact, scientists are now more convinced than ever that widespread use of face coverings would dramatically improve our situation.

“If we could get everybody to wear a mask right now, I think in four, six, eight weeks we could bring this epidemic under control,” CDC Director Robert Redfield said in mid-July.

The good news is, 74% of Californians support always wearing masks in public to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to a recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California.

The bad news is, that still leaves 26% who don’t believe it’s important to consistently wear a mask.

What’s happening in SLO County

For the most part, residents are complying with the mask rule, especially inside grocery stores and retail shops.

But there have been some shocking acts of defiance, like the grown man at Smart and Final in Paso Robles who threw a full-on tantrum.

We’re talking screaming, yelling, flinging around the f-word like nobody’s business.

All because a store clerk asked him to wear a mask. To which he replied: “Get out of my f------ face!”

Our first thought: If anybody deserved a big fat fine for violating the mask law, it’s this guy.

Better yet, let him do some community service at a hospital COVID ward. Or deliver meals to people in quarantine. Something — anything — to make it hit home, because coronavirus cases are skyrocketing in California, including here in San Luis Obispo County.

From a handful of new cases per day, we’re now seeing dozens, and as of Friday morning, the number of deaths was up to 14.

We’re still in better shape than surrounding counties, but what if the worst is yet to come?

So what will it take to convince holdouts to mask up?

Here’s what absolutely will not work: Trying to shame people into compliance.

As tempting as it may be to call people “covidiots” or “maskholes” — or worse — resist the impulse.

“Shaming is never going to work to change their behavior,” said Atascadero psychologist Susana Lopez. “The best strategy is kindness and keeping our tone of voice as kind and firm as possible.”

She also suggests validating their emotions.

For example, a store employee could try saying, “We also wish we didn’t have to wear masks, but these are our policies and we want to protect you and we want to protect others.”

And resist raising your voice.

“When we start yelling or raising our voice, we both stop listening,” said Lopez.

That being said, if you’re dealing with an adult who insists on acting like a petulant child, that may not always work.

Should we confront people who aren’t wearing masks?

If you’re a customer at a store, say, or you’re at the park or the post office, and you encounter an anti-masker, it’s better to just walk away.

A Duke University psychology and marketing professor offers this advice on YouTube: “At a minimum, a random person coming up and saying, ‘Hey, you need to be wearing your mask’ — that person’s not wearing a mask already because they’ve decided that freedom is really important to them. If you threaten it even more, it’s going to heighten their reaction and the potential for negative outcomes is substantial.”

Dr. Penny Borenstein, San Luis Obispo County’s Public Health officer, points out that some people can’t wear masks for health reasons. “I would hope that we don’t get to the point of someone having to have a card or a doctor’s letter or something that says I cannot (wear a mask).”

She also notes that you’re highly unlikely to catch COVID from an unmasked individual who walks past you once at the grocery store, not that that should forgive people from flouting the rules.

But shouldn’t we be wearing masks indoors?

Absolutely. Indoor venues — especially small spaces with poor ventilation — are more of a threat than outdoor locations, which is why restaurants are now limited to serving diners outside.

So it makes sense to be scrupulous about masking up when we go to supermarket, retail stores and offices.

Failing to do so is theoretically punishable by a fine, but as we’ve noted, law enforcement agencies in San Luis Obispo County aren’t taking punitive action and instead are relying on education.

Many larger stores, like Vons, Costco and Trader Joe’s, have employees stationed at the front entrances to control foot traffic, ensure people are wearing masks and offer sanitized shopping carts.

And, larger stores generally instruct employees to refer mask enforcement issues to a manager or security guard.

Small markets and retail stores, though, may have only a few employees on staff, which puts them in the position of having to enforce the mask rule along with their other duties.

That can make for some awkward, even scary, encounters.

Consider the situation described in a recent letter to the editor praising John, the Vietnam veteran who refused to wear a mask while grocery shopping in Atascadero. The letter writer complimented John for not being one of the mask-wearing “sheeple.”

He also pointed out that a 19-year-old store clerk who asked John to wear a mask was no match for the war veteran, whom he described as a man who “exudes respect and demands our constitutional rights be upheld.”

“I am a retired police officer,” the letter went on to say. “And I am furious that our government’s new rules have created de-facto police out of our young grocery store staffers. They are not enforcers. They are not trained in law enforcement. And they are placed in a position of danger. This will not end well.”

While he’s right that store clerks aren’t trained to confront shoppers, it would be nice if in recognizing that John and other like-minded shoppers realized they could help the situation by being a little bit more considerate of other people, regardless of their thoughts on “freedom.”

The fact is, you have no “right” to shop at a private store. You can abide by their rules or leave.

Support for essential workers

Consider those workers, who are just trying to do their job. It is unfair to expect any essential employee who works with the public — no matter what their age — to deal with belligerent customers refusing to wear a mask.

They’re already risking their health so that we can take care of business — like keeping food on our tables. And while there have been no violent confrontations here, employees trying to enforce mask rules have been threatened elsewhere. A security guard in Michigan was shot dead after asking someone to put on a mask.

Here’s what needs to happen:

If they haven’t done so already, cities, the county, Chambers of Commerce and similar organizations need to provide clear direction to businesses on how to best enforce the mask rule.

For example, here’s what the South County Chamber advises: “We are warning our businesses not to get into a confrontation,” Chamber President Jocelyn said via email. “Our advice has been, clear signage, have a few on hand to offer if someone forgot theirs, and then to politely ask them to come back when they have a mask. Lastly, call the police if someone is confrontational.”

Address the issue on your websites.

Hold Zoom sessions.

Find — or make — some training videos.

Beyond that, our entire community must send a clear message that we expect everyone to do their part to get this awful disease under control.

Too many people in positions of power are politicizing this crisis and undermining efforts aimed at keeping us safe — including the top law enforcement officer in San Luis Obispo County.

We strongly urge Sheriff Parkinson to walk back his Tea Party comments and inform the public that the Sheriff’s Office fully supports and, if necessary, will enforce the state order on face masks.

Anything less jeopardizes the health and safety of a community the sheriff is obligated to protect.

Finally, we implore all members of our community to set aside personal preferences and do what’s right for our county and state.

Please, wear a mask.

We get you don’t like it, but if your mask keeps even one person from being infected, saves you from falling ill or prevents an unnecessary death, isn’t it worth it?

This story was originally published July 31, 2020 at 7:15 AM.