Every week we comb through the news to find employment trends affecting the hospitality industry so you don’t have to. This week’s topic: updates to mask mandates for hospitality venues.
Updates to Mask Mandates
Currently several states in the U.S. are going through another wave of new coronavirus cases. In addition to the obvious health and safety concerns, this uptick has led to cities re-instituting certain restrictions of public spaces, including bars and restaurants. (To view COVID restrictions by state, click here.)
Along with social distancing rules, most public spaces are requiring employees and customers to wear masks. Restaurant Dive reports that 96% of restaurants are requiring staff to wear masks, with more than 50% of states implementing mask mandates, and as of recently, major hotels will now require guests to wear masks in all public places.
Despite the rise in cases, most businesses are open to the public in some aspect. As an employee or manager of one of these establishments, part of your responsibility is to help uphold these safety requirements amongst your guests and coworkers –– here are a couple friendly tips on how to do so:
- Educate them on your city/state’s requirements. In most states, anyone in a public place needs to wear a mask if they cannot social distance (keeping at least 6 ft distance between each other).
- Remind them of the benefits. In addition to slowing the spread of COVID, wearing masks can lead to states moving to phases that allow for more freedom.
- Cite any specific requests for your business. Perhaps they missed a sign on the way in that mentions safety requirements at your location – it won’t hurt to remind them!
- Grab a manager. If the situation starts to escalate or you don’t feel comfortable, ask a manager for help.
In addition to wearing masks, there are other ways to reduce the risk of exposure to the coronavirus, like regular hand washing, using hand sanitizer, and limiting touching of the face. By prioritizing and upholding proper hygiene, we can work together to get back to a place of normalcy.