95% of Tri-Cities area shoppers seen wearing masks, shows latest survey

A newly completed survey of Tri-Cities area shoppers found 95% were wearing face coverings.

Dr. Amy Person, the health director for Benton and Franklin Counties, has said that 90% of people need to be wearing masks in public to be effective in reducing the transmission of the coronavirus.

The latest survey of shoppers was the first done in the two counties as an order was being issued to businesses to refuse service to customers not wearing masks.

It was up 42% from an initial survey done June 20-25 that found 53% compliance.

“We are very excited,” said Kathleen Clary-Cooke, spokeswoman for the Benton Franklin Health District. “It just reinforces what we have always known — that our community really cares. We are heartened to see them pulling together.”

Now the Tri-Cities needs to maintain compliance with the face-covering order, she said.

The latest survey, conducted with the help of city employees, covered 4,025 shoppers observed at eight grocery stores from July 4-9.

A bicounty order requiring businesses not to serve customers who do not wear masks took effect July 6 and a day later a statewide order took effect.

Businesses that do not comply with the state order can be fined by the Washington state Department of Labor and Industries and could lose their business license.

A survey conducted over the past weekend in Spokane County found about 65% or residents wearing masks, according to the Spokesman-Review.

The latest survey conducted in Yakima County June 20-21 found 65% of residents there wearing close face coverings.

Weekly surveys

Unlike the more recent survey of grocery stores in Benton and Franklin county, the initial one broke down compliance with wearing face coverings by city. It surveyed 15 grocery stores, checking to see if shoppers had masks as they walked out.

The health district plans to conduct surveys weekly, with one large survey each month checking about twice as many grocery stores as in the most recent survey.

City staff helped collect data on the latest survey, but were assigned to grocery stores outside of their city to prevent any bias.

Public health officials see masks that cover mouths and noses as a key way to reduce the transmission of the new coronavirus in public settings, along with maintaining six feet of space between nonhousehold members.

It can be spread through droplets when people with the coronavirus breath, speak, cough, sneeze or sing. Not everyone who has COVID-19 develops symptoms and those people who do can infect others before symptoms appear.

City and county leaders heard when Gov. Jay Inslee visited June 30 that more people needed to be wearing masks for the Tri-Cities area to move forward with reopening.

“The community came together overnight and finally said, ‘If this is what it takes to open up our stores and businesses, we are going to do it’,” said Pasco Mayor Saul Martinez in the Tri-City Development Council’s Friday morning “Coffee with Karl” webcast.

The Tri-Cities is a compassionate community, said Kennewick Mayor Don Britain on the same webcast. Wearing a mask is a show of compassion for fellow citizens, he said.

He and Richland Mayor Ryan Lukson said they were looking forward to seeing a reduction in the number of new cases after a few weeks of continued compliance with the order to wear masks in public.

Local political and public health leaders had hoped that being allowed even the limited business reopening that began July 3 would give people hope and encourage more to wear face coverings.

Most businesses in the state were closed under a state order to limit the spread of the coronavirus in March, and Benton, Franklin and Yakima were the last to be allowed to move to even a modified Phase 1 of reopening.

Mask enforcement

If people see shoppers who are not wearing masks, they should “not take the law into their own hands, so to speak,” Lukson said.

The requirement that people wear masks in businesses has exceptions, including for children younger than 2 and for people with disabilities or medical conditions that make wearing a face covering unsafe.

Businesses still can require all customers to wear masks, but need to offer an accommodation to people who cannot, such as curbside service, said Dr. Person.

In addition, there are always going to be people when asked to do something that will refuse and pick a fight, she said.

But those people are the minority.

“I don’t know how much of our energy should be focused on that small minority,” she said.

The health district has focused on the majority of people who initially thought masks were a hassle and were not sure they needed to wear one.

But as public officials, including mayors and county commissioners, have emphasized the need to wear masks, many people have been convinced that wearing a mask is the right thing to do, she said.

“Education goes a long way,” said Rick Dawson, senior manager for the local health district.

Businesses can call police if a customer refuses to wear a mask and won’t leave, but Lukson said he’s not aware of that happening.

But other customers should leave the mask order to businesses to enforce, particularly since some customers may not be wearing a mask for health reasons, said public health officials.

This story was originally published July 10, 2020 at 3:12 PM.