As Texas eliminates COVID mask rules, will shoppers seek like-minded businesses?
Stephanie Bailey was ready to start going out again.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, she and her husband dined out multiple times a week. As a nurse she received a vaccination a few weeks ago, and once her husband completed his series, the couple planned to pop back into their favorite Magnolia Avenue restaurants.
That was with the understanding there would still be a statewide mask mandate in place, she said. Bailey said the couple is no longer confident in going out after Gov. Greg Abbott repealed the mandate and opened businesses to 100% capacity.
With businesses not required to enforce mask policies for employees or customers, she said the couple might be careful where they spend their money — not out of fear of COVID-19 but out of courtesy to those working.
“As health professionals, we think of infection control as not just picking something up from someone, but also preventing us from passing it on to someone else,” she said. “I don’t want to be a vector to pass this to other people.”
Bailey said whether patrons wear masks in a restaurant matters less because they typically toss them off as soon as they sit down. Her concern is for restaurant staff who must go from table-to-table, possibly without a mask. She said she and her husband would be looking for businesses that still required masks, at least for the staff.
She’s likely not alone in her concerns.
A statewide poll from the University of Texas and Texas Tribune in February, before Abbott lifted restrictions, showed 55% of respondents thought it would be safe to eat inside a restaurant, an increase from 49% last June. But 88% said they would wear a mask when in close proximity to strangers and 82% said they would avoid large groups. More than half, about 53%, responded that they believe COVID-19 remains a “significant risk.”
Last week after Abbott announced the rollbacks, the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce said it would help businesses understand the changing regulation. In a statement, chamber president Brandom Gengelbach said Abbott’s new order “allows businesses to make the necessary decisions to keep employees and customers safe while still allowing their businesses to thrive.”
“We recognize the need to balance economic recovery with social responsibility to help protect our most vulnerable populations,” he said.
On Wednesday the chamber announced it would have additional rapid COVID-19 tests to provide to businesses with fewer than 500 employees.
The repeal of the Texas mask mandate may change spending habits and offers an opportunity for political beliefs to bleed into the economy more, said Syon Bhanot, a behavioral economist at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. But the extent to which either will occur is unclear.
Texans are likely to be hearing two different messages: One from the state level that masks are not required and one from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that masks should be worn by everyone, even those who are vaccinated. In situations like this, where messaging is unclear, Bhanot said consumers fall back on social norms.
“People sort of look around at other people — probably people who look like them — and follow the crowd,” he said.
As businesses begin to roll back restrictions, consumers who are unwilling to wear masks will gravitate to those places without requirements while those who want to maintain COVID-19 precautions may chose to shop online or find businesses with similar beliefs, he said.
“That’s what I worry about more in terms of the fabric of society: one of the things that brings us together is that we shop side-by-side, we go to the park side-by-side, we live on the same planet,” he said. “This physical segregation could exacerbate political polarization.”
Jonathan Morris, owner of Fort Worth Barber Shop, told the Star-Telegram last week the barber shop would continue COVID-19 safety measures. He said he trusted his clientele to follow the guidelines without incident but he worried workers in other businesses would face harassment.
Morris said he’s concerned the statewide repeal of restrictions would further the political divide. Some businesses would be eager to drop masks and fully open while others would remain firm on COVID-19 protocols.
“It doesn’t serve our community well, in my opinion,” he said last week. “It further drives a nail into this binary idea of ‘which side of the line are you on?’”
Bhanot cautioned that the divide may be exaggerated but not necessarily stark.
For Bailey, the nurse who was hoping to start dining out again, the question is less about politics and more about public safety.
“I’m going to keep my patronage to places that will protect their employees,” she said.
This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 5:30 AM.
