Bob Morin, owner of Montana Jacks, stands in front of the restaurant and casino on South Avenue on Monday. Morin posted a sign over the weekend stating, "If you have a medical condition, that prevents you from wearing a mask, you are exempt from this order," though the sign has since been removed. He estimates the business saw a 25% dip in revenue compared to the previous week, following the Missoula City-County Board of Health's mandate that all people wear masks in public spaces indoors.
When Missoula County became the first county in the state to require masks in all indoor public settings for people over the age of 12 due to the coronavirus, a significant societal and behavioral attitude shift was suddenly required in the name of public safety.
In many countries, public face-mask wearing is a cultural norm. In America, it's new and is going to take some getting used to.
Predictably, in the wake of such a simple yet profoundly different change, business owners, staff and customers in Missoula have been dealing with various ramifications both positive and negative.
Bob Morin has owned Montana Jack's casino and restaurant on South Avenue in Missoula for 20 years. He estimates the place saw a 25% dip in business compared to the previous week when the mask order wasn't in place.
"That loss of business has a huge effect on my staff who rely on tips," he said. "And if I have to send a cook home early because we're not busy enough, that has an effect too."
Over the weekend, Morin posted a sign on the front door that read:
"Those in our lovely government have ordered all persons entering indoor facilities to wear a mask. If you have a medical condition, that prevents you from wearing a mask, you are exempt from this order. Due to HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and the 4th Amendment, we cannot legally ask you about your medical condition. Therefore, if we see you without a mask, we will assume you have a medical condition and we will welcome you inside to support our business."
Morin had taken down the sign by Monday and in an interview with the Missoulian didn't want to go into detail to explain the reasoning behind the sign or why he took it down. He did note that there has only been one officially recorded death due to COVID-19 in Missoula County.
"We always comply with what the Health Department tells us," he said.
However, Morin believes that because restaurant workers aren't trained to use masks like health care workers, they'll end up touching their face and nose more often, which he said defeats the purpose.
"If you have an underlying health condition or you have someone in your family that's elderly, you should just stay home," he said.
Morin also believes the government should focus more on liver disease and drug abuse, which he said are worse public health problems than COVID-19.
"Why aren't they doing anything about that?" he asked. His other gripes were that there wasn't enough advance warning about the mask order, business owners weren't consulted specifically (although public comment was taken) and businesses weren't individually contacted.
Of 1,551 tracked comments from city residents, 87% of city residents supported the rule, while 13% opposed it. Of 591 tracked comments from county residents, 67% supported the mask mandate while 33% opposed it.
Ellen Leahy, the director of the Missoula City-County Health Department, said she had been made aware of the sign at Montana Jack's three times as of Monday afternoon. She said her staff follow up on all complaints by first calling the business to find out what's going on.
As of Monday, she said many people have called the health department to thank them and the health board for implementing the rule.
"Most of our inquiries are from businesses wondering how to comply," she said. "Over the weekend and today, we did receive some complaints."
She acknowledged that it wasn't possible for the Health Department to individually contact every business in the county, but there is an interested party list that was contacted last Tuesday about the upcoming order.
Most of her staff have reported that there has been a great deal of compliance with the new rule. Many places are completely full of customers wearing masks, and Leahy said that's good news for public health. A widely cited model by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington predicts tens of thousands fewer deaths if masks are widely used in the United States.
But mask-wearing has become a partisan political issue in America. One Montana lawmaker — Republican Sen. Fred Thomas of Stevensville — last month called mask-wearing a "hoax" to push government compliance.
Other businesses are posting on social media about dealing with customers who are unhappy about the mask order. On Saturday, the Filling Station in Seeley Lake posted the following:
"I hope that everyone realizes that no matter where you stand on this issue our business must comply. Please be kind. Our staff doesn't deserve the verbal abuse that some of the patrons are handing out. If you know that you are going to ignore the mask rule and distancing, please don't visit us. We are spent; we are tired; we deserve a smile under that mask (smile emoji and mask emoji)."
The owner of The Greek Pastry Shop — No. 1 Gyros in Missoula, John Kordonouris, told KPAX news over the weekend that some customers refused to wear masks and used expletives.
Rhonda Trosper, the manager of the Fraternal Order of Eagles #32 restaurant and bar in Missoula, was proactive and posted on social media over the weekend.
"Please people, be kind to each other, be respectful, your words matter! If you're going to take a political or constitutional stand on your beliefs, (and thank goodness we can) do it where the outcome is not going to effect (sic) someone else's health."
Trosper said her customers have been wonderful and everyone has cooperated respectfully with the mask order. She said she just wanted to make that post because she's heard "grumblings" about people not wanting to wear masks.
"But everyone has been great," Trosper said in a phone call with the Missoulian. "People are being very respectful."
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July 14, 2020 at 05:45AM
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Businesses face mask backlash over masks; some skirt rules, all adapt - The Missoulian
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