07/24/2021
To Town Manager and Select Board,
Please be proactive and re-instate the mandatory mask zone that we had last year.(perhaps even a press release stating we are SAFELY open for business). The press coverage in Boston and on the national nightly news is hurting our summer traffic.
Despite the uptick of cases, there is minimal mask use on Commercial Street by tourists, including children that could not possibly be vaccinated.
It is not fair for business owners to be the first line of enforcement-we're in the hospitality/service industry. Last year, once the town instituted the mandatory mask zone, business owners and staff were relieved of having to " be the bad guy".
The size of our Commercial Street shop, and most of the other shops in town, does not allow "social distancing". We have posted a mask-up sign for those unvaccinated, and a masks advised sign for those vaccinated. However, it is often met with resistance, sometimes aggression and sometimes folks just walk away. Mandatory masks removes the burden from the businesses while offering protection to the community.
Like many other locals, my partner and I have done everything "right". We were a pod of three (my 85 year old mom the third wheel) for over a year. We all got vaccinated as soon as we could and we continue to practice safe protocols.
However, we run businesses where, like many, we are short staffed, and we cannot afford even a mild positive exposure. If either of us gets sick with even mild symptoms, our business would have to close until we recover (and vaccinated people ARE getting sick).
Please be the Bad Guys here and reinstate the mandatory mask zone in the commercial district. And please put out a press release to that effect. We can always pull it back once the uptick has passed.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Cid Bolduc and Francesca Cerutti
Cape Art Tiles, Inc