Mask Noncompliance

By an edhat reader

I was at Home Depot last night and a delivery person was not wearing a mask. Several employees were walking around with either their masks pulled down below their noses and/or off completely, as well as several customers without masks. At Whole Foods there was an employee stocking shelves with the mask below their nose. No one said or did anything. Is there anything that can be done about this or do we just avoid patronizing these businesses for now?

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Written by bigman

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51 Comments

  1. 22 new cases just reported over the weekend. They could be at the prison – PD is not updating over memorial day. If not, given the incubation period this matches up with the timeframe of loosened restrictions and people starting to shun distancing and mask requirements as the numbers were lessening.

  2. Just drove from the Mesa, to Shoreline, to Sterns Wharf.
    I was the only one at the gas station, on the Mesa, with a mask, except the employees…
    By the harbor, Sterns, packed with tourists, looked like a regular holiday weekend..bikes, buggys, kids, no masks.
    Went up State. a hotel had outdoor seating but people climbing all over each other in the visible bar…again, not one mask..

  3. We will get updates throughout the week and I’m curious to see in the next couple of weeks if we start to see a surge. So many of my neighbors had parties this weekend, lots of people are out, not seeing a lot of masks and have gone shopping and seen a lot of people walking around without masks or thinking fpulling their shirt up over their mouth while they’re in the store is okay. Nobody enforcing it, because it’s an uncomfortable thing. I don’t feel comfortable telling someone at the store that they should have one on, not sure how they will react, I just turn around and walk the other direction. And I don’t think of myself as a paranoid person, but cautious.

  4. I just left Whole Foods where a restocking employee came out of the back pushing a dolly full food with his mask covering his throat, not even pretending to wear it over his mouth and nose. If customers are required to wear a mask then an employee handling the food they are going to bring into their homes should definitely be wearing one.

  5. Given what I saw/experienced this weekend and reading some of these comments, I truly pray and hope that in 2 -3 weeks we do not see a huge jump in cases and/or hospitalizations. If not, then we may be in good shape until the next wave. Otherwise, yikes. We may be headed for yet another lockdown.

  6. The city of SB has rules, Goleta has rules, the county has rules, that state has rules. And they keep changing. Is that science? You go figure it out. The new, latest county rules appear to supersede the city rules. A few items of importance: It is NOT required to use a face covering while driving alone in a car or with household members. I never could understand why someone would do that. It is NOT required to use face covering while alone outdoors if no one is around within 6 ft, or with household members and NOT required to use while outdoors exercising. They specifically ask people to not spit. They actually wrote that in. Do people actually not know that’s a bad idea? Perhaps you can spit again after the virus is gone. Masks with one-way valves on the front are not allowed. They mention that face coverings are not for your personal protection but to protect others within 6 ft from an infected you. So, if you’re going to use a face covering, do it correctly: cover your mouth AND nose, not just your chin, and stop touching it except for putting it on and taking it off. Continually messing with it may actually increase your personal risk. You’ve got until 5pm Tuesday to get it together. Good luck.

  7. Carp beaches absolutely mobbed with people. Very few had masks. Lines at beach park for the porta-sh1tters. Groups of teens taking selfies with no masks or distancing. All lifeguard stands open, but parking lots closed. Lots of people walking to the beach with all their equipment. Lots of cars circling looking for parking, most of which is blocked off as either no parking or two-hour only. Many helicopters and airplanes flying along the coast in both directions.
    Except for the parking situation and temp restrooms, it’s just another holiday weekend.

  8. @ 12:45 – 420722 Never said they weren’t complying, they stated they couldn’t wait to get these things off and sympathized with those having to wear them 8 hrs a day. That would seem to mean they are wearing one but dislike it. You seem to be a little touchy about someone’s opinion. Do you enjoy wearing a mask? I certainly don’t but I wear one when I go out, which is not much because I hate wearing it. I too can’t wait to get these things off. And there is no way I’m wearing it if I’m walking on the pier or in a parking lot.

  9. Thanks 3:28 I absolutely wear one in stores that require them because duh, I would get kicked out and I need groceries, clothes etc. I don’t wear it outdoors though. I like fresh air, not hot recycled air.

  10. I believe that people who disregard the fact that their refusal to adhere to the simple requests to wear masks in public and maintain social distance are inherently selfish.
    In all aspects of their lives. Some just lack the ability to see or care for anyone beyond themselves. And some have the belief that they won’t get the virus. So they play the odds, gamble with their future, our fate.
    The people who are displaying that behavior in public, are telling a lot about themselves, their character. I get that people need to work, get on with life. I want that too. This is a debate that won’t be easily won by either side.
    There’s a new dynamic on the horizon that may impact this whole issue on compliance with wearing protective gear, and other recommendations from the CDC.
    There’s hiring going on to employ people to locate and identify those persons with the virus. They’re called “Contact Tracers”. They will conduct an investigation into what an individual, positive with the Corona 19 virus was doing in the time before the onset of symptoms.
    They will also go and talk to anyone who they came into contact with. All the way back to patient zero, the one who possibly had the virus first, and spread ít to others.
    Going by incubation times and dates, the hope is to gain more knowledge regarding transferring the vírus, incubation period, and the testing of the individuals who came into contact with the infected person.
    This may turn into a very interesting social sítuation. I wonder how people will react if it’s discovered that someone caught the virus from someone who ignored the CDC’s directives for wearing masks, hand washing, and maintaining social distance.
    I can see some unpleasant repercussions arising from this. Possibly some legal and ethical questions on the accountabilities of those who didn’t take any preventive actions. This is an unprecedented period in modern times, due to advancement in medical testing accuracy. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what comes out of this.

  11. I for one will most certainly sue someone who was negligently not wearing a mask if it’s determined I may have gotten it from them and I get really sick. Same goes for any of my family members. They can then explain their beliefs, their constitutional rights and such to the jury.

  12. Now (supposedly) becoming more widely known re: SARS-CoV-2, it is reported that, contrary to what was first thought, hard surfaces don’t seem to be nearly as viable/successful in transmitting the disease. Wait till that little bit of information goes viral. It’s news to me, but apparently the CDC has been “saying as much” for months———————https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/22/health/cdc-coronavirus-touching-surfaces.html———–So why are we all worried about workers breathing on canned goods, packets of chips, jars of spaghetti sauce? Or restaurant menus? I don’t know . . . It still makes sense to me to wear a mask and also keep my hands sanitized.

  13. In terms of the general public, the mandatory mask order goes into effect at 5pm tomorrow (Tuesday). Even without it, there is absolutely nothing you can do about another customer wearing a mask or not. Wear your own and walk down a different aisle if you feel frightened. In terms of employees not wearing masks, I would call and speak to a manager directly about your concerns.

  14. I walked on the Goleta pier yesterday. 7 of 52 people fishing were wearing masks and 11 of 23 people strolling the pier were wearing masks. Several people were carrying masks in their hands. Given this was outside and there was a light breeze people probably felt the risk to themselves and others was low.

  15. maybe you should read the actual Health Order. It clearly contains lines about Exemptions for not wearing.
    I’m actually rather disappointed in the city for taking so long to include those lines in their mask policies.
    This is the first Public Health Order from SB which has contained them – https://countyofsb.org/uploadedFiles/phd/PROGRAMS/Disease_Control/Corona/Health%20Officer%20Order%202020-10.pdf

  16. My wife and I are only two examples, but we both had the virus and were briefly sick back in late January. I am in my late 60s and my wife is in her early 60s. I have yet to wear a mask, won’t wear a mask, and have tried to be normally active, out and about, and enjoying myself as much as possible amid this chaos. If we were going to get sick again, it certainly would have happened by now that it has been four months. There probably will be more cases of illness (not just contraction) when winter comes, but we just can’t keep here wondering “what will happen next” and that’s why herd immunity is a good thing.

  17. Hope they are hiring ‘tracers’. They do the same thing when someone gets food poisoning, to determine its origin. People don’t mind that. I suspect some of the ‘conspiracy’ people won’t wish to cooperate.

  18. From what I’ve read, they found traces of the virus onboard the ship. However, it wasn’t ‘viable’… or able to cause a person to become sick with Covid19. I think they’re still working to learn how long it is viable on different surfaces. I’ve also heard that it can hang in the air for 8-10 minutes, from someone just talking… hence the importance of wearing masks… for EVERYONE.

  19. This is life. Those are the groups who always pay the price. So if you’re in that group take responsibility for yourself. Take every precaution to give yourself a better chance. You can’t expect the government to protect everyone from the harsh world.

  20. Complaints about noncompliance need to be directed to the location where the noncompliance happened. Home Depot is in Goleta so you would need to contact the City Of Goleta. I would suggest just calling city hall and asking which department handles compliance issues.
    For those looking to buy a washable reusable cloth mask, there is a market place of Local mask makers here:
    http://Www.sbcmasknetwork.org/marketplace/

  21. Only you are in charge of your health. Do what you think is right and do not rely on others. Its not about you tattling on them, its about you taking charge of your life and making the preparations and / or adjustments necessary for you and you alone. Please do not become ‘Karen’ or ‘Ken’. SB already has a reputation of being full of busy-bodies and nosy neighbors. Do you really want to live in a glass house? Control what you can (your behavior) and you’ll be a lot more at ease in the world.

  22. The parking lots at the motels along State Street are filling up. I wonder if it’s b/c beaches in LA and Ventura are closed/monitored? I’ve heard they are but don’t know. No idea about the big expensive motel/hotels.

  23. IF you have an exception such as you wear an oxygen breathing tube as people with serious emphasema must, there are people who will shop for you. If you find masks uncomfortable, so do most of us. If as a group, we don’t do everything possible to stop this, it will drag on and on and it makes those who are particularly vulnerable perpetual prisoners in their homes. Pity old people living alone whose only human contact may be going out for breakfast or to a senior center. Dispair and loneliness will cause suicides.

  24. To make sure the order is obeyed, anyone claiming an exception should be required to have the reason on his/her doctor’s letterhead. Otherwise, it will be like handicapped parking and emotional support dogs.

  25. There are plenty of examples of maskless people and yet the rates of infection are not skyrocketing. If the number of irresponsible people remains about the same, that means that the virus will slowly spread through our community until the vaccine is developed. As long as we don’t exceed the hospitals’ capacity to care for us, then we are doing okay. High risk groups are just going to have to self-isolate until them. If it is a question of high-risk groups not being able to get the items they need, then we need to figure out a way to get it to them.

  26. That’s right Pitmix. A vaccine may not even be possible and best case it’s a year away. Alternative is herd immunity which means people will have to catch the virus. High-risk groups can utilize the plethora of delivery services available to keep them home and and keep them safe.

  27. You make a good point seabird. The authoritarians among us have been longing for a situation like this virus for years. They love to nitpick every last detail of what is allowed, what isn’t, and how to punish those who do not obey and conform. I came to Santa Barbara because I appreciated the laid back, live and let live attitude that used to prevail here. I am deeply disappointed to see how up-tight this community has become.

  28. It appears that older folks have more experience and have learned lessons about patience. To everything there is a season. This is the season of caution and mutual support.
    There is a younger demographic that prioritizes social contact. It’s hormonal and normal. But these are not normal times and priority must give way to community risk.
    We can’t escape the fact that the behaviors of others sometimes invade our lives, our health, and community. Think it through, talk calmly to the youngers, and enlist their aid. It could be a “thing”.

  29. CHIP – hate to break it to you, but SB is one of the least laid back places I’ve lived, and I was born and raised here. There is a HUGE population of “nosy neighbors” here. That said, I still can’t agree with you about the virus being used as a “authoritarian weapon” or something, but I am admittedly coming around on this whole thing. It’s time for us to adapt and live life. We cannot keep cancelling and shutting everything down. Go out and live, but do it safely and wear a mask inside stores (no need to do it in your car or walking on the beach)!

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