With mask mandates in place, here’s how Whatcom businesses are coping
It’s been a long, exhausting journey for Whatcom County businesses and customers during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the latest round of mask mandates is showing signs that most people are willing to work through this challenge together.
Yes, there are still people who defiantly walk into a business without a mask prepared to yell at employees who had nothing to do with creating the rules but are expected to enforce them. The arguments continue unabated across social media platforms and the delta variant is proving difficult to contain.
While people are weary and stressed, many are realizing that patience and kindness is what’s needed when interacting with others.
“Patience and kindness are definitely two big things businesses need right now from everybody,” said Jeff Figley, co-owner of Comics Place in downtown Bellingham.
So far, positive feedback is outweighing the bad at Comics Place. During Free Comics Day earlier this month, the store required proof of vaccination for those above the age of 12, masks and it limited groups inside the store as a way to protect its younger clientele who are not eligible to get the vaccine. The vaccine mandate worked so well it is something they are bringing back, starting on Wednesday, Sept. 1.
“Comics Place has a really wonderful community around it, and pretty much everybody was happy to jump through the additional hoop of providing proof of vaccination,” Figley said in an email. “After being limited to online orders for as long as we were, everybody just seemed really excited to be able to be back inside the shop. I guess 16 months of not being able to browse comics before you buy them makes putting a mask on not seem so bad.”
At Old World Deli, most of the customers are complying with the mask mandate, but there’s the occasional situation that develops, forcing employees to take action, said Anna Adams, co-owner of the restaurant and store.
“If you don’t want to wear a mask you can call and we’ll bring your order out but please do not put our staff and customers at risk by disobeying the state mandate,” Adams said in an email. “It is really frustrating for our staff to get that kind of response. None of us want to wear masks but this is where we’re at right now. It’s about the community, not just one person’s freedom.”
One of the many challenges during the pandemic is realizing that we continue to deal with different success metrics, said Guy Occhiogrosso, president and CEO of the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce. The current goal is trying to keep the hospital from being overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. While he doesn’t think we’ll get to a point of shutting down businesses as in the spring of 2020, it’s a possibility if hospitalizations continue to rise.
That means businesses are trying to make decisions that are best for the community during a time when everyone is exhausted with the pandemic, he said.
“It’s important to realize that everyone is going through this,” Occhiogrosso said.
The vaccine mandate started by several downtown Bellingham businesses earlier this month has grown to more than 25 participants. So far, some of the businesses have said it’s been going well and that in-person interactions do not compare to the hateful comments being posted on social media accounts, said Alice Clark, executive director at the Downtown Bellingham Partnership.
One of the factors that prompted some businesses to start the vaccine mandate is to help prevent outbreaks among employees. As the highly contagious delta variant spreads and “breakthrough” cases become more prevalent, 58 businesses have had to deal with outbreaks, according to Whatcom County Health Department Director Erika Lautenbach at a recent press briefing. A breakthrough case is when a fully vaccinated person comes down with the virus; so far breakthrough cases rarely result in hospitalization, but could spread to others.
Even with mask mandates and some restaurants putting in proof of vaccination rules, to-go orders remain a popular option. Adams said Old World Deli’s to-go orders are up significantly compared to last year, but they’ve also seen an uptick in catering events as well as people buying goods from the grocery store section of the restaurant.
Proof of vaccination required
Here is a list of businesses that require proof of vaccination before entering indoors. The list comes from the Downtown Bellingham Partnership and announcements on social media:
Restaurants/bars: Redlight Kitchen & Bar, Black Sheep, Lorikeet, Bayou on Bay, L&L Libations, The Cabin, The Racket, Uisce, Pepper Sisters, Amendment 21, Tadeo’s, Temple Bar, Cosmos, The Local, Jack’s, Southside, 1-Up Lounge, Backdoor Lounge, Ovn Wood Fire Pizza, Mount Bakery, Neko Cat Cafe, Redrum Tiki Bar, Endgame Bellingham, Milano’s.
Music venues/theaters: Wild Buffalo, The Shakedown, Mount Baker Theater, Pickford Film Center.
Retail stores: Comics Place (starting Wednesday, Sept. 1).
This story was originally published August 29, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
