Running a business over the past two years has been no easy task. From forced closures to mask and vaccine mandates, many businesses have struggled to make it to this point.
With dropped mask mandates on both the state and county level, I wanted to know how businesses have handled the transition back to full autonomy. Who enforces masks, and who doesn’t.
I narrowed down my search to a 0.5 mile radius from the Orange Circle in Orange, California. Traveling from north to south, I went from Walnut Avenue all the way to East La Veta Avenue. Making my way west, traveling from North Cambridge Street towards South Batavia Street.
Of the 165 businesses I went to, only 2 required masked entry. One was a dentist office who, as we walked in, had a man sitting in the waiting room not wearing a mask. I asked the woman at the front desk if masks were required inside, to which she said, “yes”. I assume when asked the question say they require masks, however, do not force mask wearing upon entry for every customer.
The other business who required masks was an optometrist. They had a sign posted on their window stating masked customers may be treated inside, while unmasked customers can be helped outside. I asked if I could speak to the manager outside, she agreed once she finished helping her current customer.
During that time I began filming the signs posted on their window, the manager came running outside yelling, “can we help you?!” I asked a second time for an interview, she rudely told us to get lost. I am assuming they receive a lot of backlash and constantly have to remind customers to wear a mask inside. All we wanted, was an interview.
Throughout the 165 businesses I encountered, there was a very common trend. Almost every single place had their eyes set towards profit. While enforcing masks upon entry, many owners found a negative impact on their sales and people walking out of their store, to never come back.
Some businesses just began allowing mask-less entry on February 16th, the day California’s indoor mask mandate ended. Others have not required masks in months, and a few have never required masks during the entirety of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is clear the pandemic is no longer a concern with the majority of business owners the city of Orange. Some say Chapman University students are their most frequent mask wearers. It will be interesting to see if that trend continues over the next couple months due to Chapman’s extinguished mask mandate on campus as of March 3rd.
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