This past weekend I went to the Publix grocery store, a Pet Supermarket, a restaurant (Taverna) and a Lowes. This was the first time I had chosen to eat at a restaurant since February and we selected an outside table. What I observed overall was good, but there were a number of opportunities.

Jacksonville, FL is under a mandatory wear a mask policy for “public and other indoor locations and in other situations where individuals cannot socially distance.” All four locations had signs on their doors that couldn’t be missed. Well done.

The dinner began with an employee bringing utensils, paper menus (nicely done) and water to the table. He was wearing a mask, but it had a large valve on it and was clearly one of the types the CDC has said were not appropriate.

The purpose of masks is to keep respiratory droplets from reaching others to aid with source control. However, masks with one-way valves or vents allow air to be exhaled through a hole in the material, which can result in expelled respiratory droplets that can reach others.  This type of mask does not prevent the person wearing the mask from transmitting COVID-19 to others. Therefore, CDC does not recommend using masks for source control if they have an exhalation valve or vent.

I chose to stay and we ate dinner, but I was a bit nervous and did not mention the issue.

The next day I went to a Pet Supermarket. There were four customers in the store with no masks and one of their employees was not wearing their mask while the other had it below their nose while speaking with customers. Oh well, again after buying my items and not saying a word, I left. Perhaps I’ll feel more comfortable with mail order for the dog food in the future after I get our last free bag.

The Publix had an interesting change since my last visit. While all customers were wearing masks, a few employees again had them below their nose. This location they still had the six-foot distancing lines at the checkout counters, but, they had removed all of the directional signage which had created one-way aisles.

During a prior visit I had seen one individual apparently intentionally walking the wrong way. When I stated quietly as he passed,

“You might want to look at the signs on the floor”, he responded

“Mind your _____ business” loud enough that the elderly couple in front of me turned around and said,

“what a jerk”.

I wondered if Publix had decided that one-way aisles do not lower risk, or did they get too many complaints, were there confrontations?

And finally at Lowes, everyone was wearing a mask except for a few employees who were talking with each other and had pulled them down.

We are clearly doing better, more people are wearing masks, distancing appropriately and trying; so how do we keep from becoming complacent, educate and remind people in a nice manner to wear a mask, wear it correctly and keep practicing safe behaviors? Many are wondering the same thing as we factor in schools reopening, more people heading out and their potential impact on the infection rate.

Here are some good ideas on how to approach people in this article Mask the rage: How to talk to people who don’t wear face coverings

If you have any good ideas or experiences whether good or bad, I’d like to hear them.