On August 12, California joined 33 other states to require the wearing of masks in public spaces. This makes it less challenging for your company to require employees, customers, and vendors to wear masks while at your workplace.
Major retailers, banks, and grocery chains across the country are requiring masks inside their establishments. Yet, customers are often resistant to wearing masks—and are showing themselves to be belligerent, abusive, and dangerous.
Recently in San Antonio, a passenger was shot after a man was told he couldn’t ride a public bus without a mask. A Dollar Store employee in Michigan was killed after telling a customer to wear a mask, and employees at a Trader Joe’s in Manhattan were taken to the hospital after a fight with customers who refused to wear masks. On August 11, a 17-year-old employee required surgery after being attacked by a New York couple who he had asked to wear masks inside a Langhorne, PA, theme park near Philadelphia.
Clearly, the situation is serious.
Thankfully the legal consequences of mask aggression by customers are increasing. On August 7, Illinois’ Governor signed into law an expansion of the charge of aggravated battery to include attacks against retail workers who are trying to enforce face covering requirements. This makes such attacks a felony offence that can carry a sentence of two-to-five years in prison as well as up to $25,000 in fines. Likewise, other states have moved in this direction.
As the coronavirus pandemic in our country continues to necessitate face masks in public, supporting your employees who have to gain customer compliance is essential. Learn how to help employees get customers to wear masks in our article Want Customers to Wear Masks? Here’s How.
