San Mateo County businesses contend with changing masking requirement

If you’re sick, stay at home, get tested,” said Garrett Lee, owner of San Bruno’s Blendistry Barbershop. “The least we can do is keep our brothers and sisters safe.”

California’s indoor COVID-19 mask mandated ended for the fully vaccinated this Wednesday, leaving requirements in place for those who are still unvaccinated or have not completed their vaccination series with no enforcement mechanisms in place. In certain settings like schools, medical centers and public transportation, the mandate also applies to everyone regardless of vaccination status.

The change has come with mixed responses, noted Chief of Health Louise Rogers in her Message from the Chief published Tuesday, highlighting that vulnerabilities and risks of exposure vary throughout the community. But as County Health returns to a more traditional advisory role, decision-making is being put back into the hands of the public.

“We also recognize that many residents, businesses, and entities operating in our County are well-positioned to understand and balance the risks for their respective environments and stakeholders,” Rogers said.

Leading with caution

After speaking with leaders within the business community during a board meeting Wednesday, Rosanne Foust, CEO and president of the San Mateo County Economic Development Association, said all are widely interested in taking a cautious approach as the region begins to exit the most recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

“They’re trying to adapt to their customers. They want them to feel comfortable,” Foust said. “The feeling is, at least let’s get through the next couple of months and see where we’re at.”

Anecdotally, Foust said consumers appear to be taking the same approach during the first few days without the state mandate, having noticed many continuing to mask up. Tending to lean toward the optimistic, Foust said she also senses strong feelings of hope and sees signs of that shared sentiment when visiting local businesses.

It’s been months since San Mateo County has gone without a mask mandate and Foust credited the recent shift to local residents who have taken safety precautions seriously. Nearly 94% of residents ages 5 and older have received at least one vaccine dose and slow progress is continuing to be made in connecting children and hard-to-reach communities with vaccination opportunities.

Rogers said vaccinations and boosters remain a key tool for fending off the virus given that the risk of exposure still remains high in the county — infecting about 1,146 residents a day, according to state data.

Back to business

Chris Dehoff, one of the owners behind the family-owned and operated Redwood City grocery store, Dehoff’s Key Market, said most of his customers are opting to mask up despite the mandate.

“Everybody is so used to wearing the masks it’s just part of life now,” Dehoff said, noting his employees are continuing to mask and that most are vaccinated.

On the first day without the state mask mandate, Dehoff said the store still required all who entered to wear a face covering, giving him and other decision-makers time to review what neighboring merchants were doing while keeping customers safe and comfortable.

The following day, he said the store opted to allow customers to self-attest after noticing a similar trend among city shops and service providers. But Dehoff said he would have liked to see the mandate remain in place a bit longer until the risks presented by the virus were more diminished.

“We’re kind of pinned into a corner. It’s putting the burden on business owners to make their own policy. It is a tough position,” Dehoff said. “I’m sure they wouldn’t have recommended this ability to businesses to make their own policies unless they decided the threat much different than it was one or two years ago. We hope they just keep modifying it as time goes on.”

At Blendistry, Lee said he and his team have opted for the honor system. Having opened his shop after another he worked at was closed down due to the pandemic, Lee said his team of three barbers and one braider have picked up many of the old shop’s clientele and are very familiar with the community.

People seem to be mask fatigued, Lee said, noting most of their clients feel safe coming in without masks. For those who may not be as confident, he said his team has adapted to do their work with masks in place and the shop continues to take the necessary precautions to make them feel safe. His crew is vaccinated and routinely tested and chairs within the shop are separated by at least 6 feet and their front doors frequently remain open to allow for ventilation.

“For me, I’m the type to rather be safe than sorry. … We’d rather keep everyone safe,” Lee said.

The Dehoffs have been in business and serving the community for decades while Lee opened his doors less than a year ago but both shared the same goal, to provide a welcoming and safe environment for their clientele.

Eventually, the risks posed by the virus will decrease to the point where heath officials will inform the public it’s safe to do away with masks altogether, Dehoff said. As for when that is, Dehoff said that time may not be far off and he’ll be ready to adjust if and when health experts say it’s safe.

“It’s definitely coming,” Dehoff said. “It’s so hard to say when but there will definitely be a time.”

Visit the County Health website at smchealth.org/coronavirus for more information on mandates, vaccination and testing clinics and COVID-19 health data.

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

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