“Ohio residents are among the least cooperative citizens when it comes to wearing a face mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to a new study.”
– Survival at Home (July 2020)
An analysis conducted by Survival at Home, a website dedicated to survival and disaster preparedness, used geotagging data on Twitter to track several mask-related hashtags over the last 30 days. The hashtags, tracked in each state, included #nomask, #burnyourmask, #nomasks, #antimask, and #iwillnotcomply. Over 150,000 tweets were analyzed. Ohio ranked 9th worse of all states in cooperation.
(“Ohio among least cooperative states when it comes to wearing masks.” WCMH/WWLP/AP. July 20, 2020.
Granted, this analysis is a survey conducted in July and not a scientific study, but the information is indicative of a huge problem during the pandemic – a significant number of people refuse to mask properly in public. They ignore directives to cover their nose and mouth, thus actively promoting conditions for spread of the coronavirus.
These non-maskers evidently care nothing about the current spike in cases and in deaths. On November 21, Ohio set a new daily case record with 8,808 reported Friday, according to the Ohio Department of Health, beating the previous high of 8,071 cases set one week ago.
This is the second time Ohio has recorded more than 8,000 cases over 24 hours.
The state has recorded more than 7,000 cases for six out of the last seven days. Gov. Mike DeWine noted on November 19 that due to a backlog of antigen test results, the data being reported by the state health department is incomplete.
With Ohio's new mask mandate that was put into effect on November 19, it appears more Ohioans are now masking in public; however, some still do not comply with the recent orders. These non-compliant individuals pose a threat to the general population.
We have reached a crossroads in our country, in our state, and in our Scioto County community – do we ignore violations and let people use “their individual freedom” or “distorting the science” excuses for defy masking compliance, or do we insist the individuals take proper protective measures during a deadly pandemic?
Preventing the spread of COVID-19 is a shared responsibility. We, as accountable citizens cannot ignore the obvious obligation to national health. Science supports using masks, with recent studies suggesting that they save lives in different ways: research shows that masks cut down the chances of both transmitting and catching the coronavirus, and some studies hint that masks might reduce the severity of infection if people do contract the disease.
A preprint study posted in early August found that weekly increases in per-capita mortality were four times lower in places where masks were the norm or recommended by the government, compared with other regions.
(Christopher T Leffler, Edsel B Ing, Joseph D. Lykins V, Matthew C. Hogan, Craig A. McKeown, Andrzej Grzybowski. “Association of country-wide coronavirus mortality with demographics, testing, lockdowns, and public wearing of masks.” The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. August 04, 2020)
The time has come to take action and stop being indifferent. We must report mask violations to the proper authorities to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Can businesses deny service to those who refuse to wear a mask? Is it against your rights as an American citizen to be turned away?
The short answer: yes, you can be denied service if you’re not wearing a mask, and your rights are not being infringed upon if that happens on private property. Private companies have the right to turn customers away, and patrons have the right to choose which establishments they’ll give their business. Ohio businesses, and generally all businesses, have the right to refuse service to anyone absent a legal exception.
“As long as businesses are enforcing that in a nondiscriminatory manner and they are requiring everyone to wear the mask, they have the right on their premises to say, ‘If you want to shop here, you have to wear a mask,’” said Davis Senseman, a Minneapolis attorney. Senseman continued …
“Unfortunately, there is a lot of misunderstanding about what rights we have and who we have them against. That is not something the constitution gives you a right to prevent. You can exercise your right by not shopping at that particular store.”
(Brianna Chambers. “Can businesses refuse to serve customers who don’t wear masks?” Cox Media Group. July 19, 2020.)
That, then, is the answer to those who believe they can exercise their right not to mask in a business enforcing the order – their right actually stops at the door. They have the right to shop elsewhere, not to jeopardize public health. Period.
Even if some people claim they can't wear a mask because of underlying health conditions, one might ask why, during a huge surge in COVID-19 cases, can't these individuals find an alternate method of face covering – a face shield or a special mask with greater filtration efficiency? Doctors say various conditions don't excuse people from wearing masks, but rather emphasize the importance of wearing one correctly.
Under the Ohio mask mandate, all retailers should provide reasonable accommodation to any person unable to wear a mask into the store by providing online or telephone ordering and curbside, non-contact pick up or a delivery option and/or allowing a person to wear a full face shield that extends below the chin.
How To Report Mask Violations
Some places in Ohio have been proactive. Back in July, local authorities in Cuyahoga County set up a hotline for residents to report people who are not wearing face masks amid a rise in cases of COVID-19. People can call into the hotline or file complaints online. When a complaint is received, the county will contact the individual or business owner involved and then forward that information to the Board of Health and relevant municipal authorities.
In the case of repeated complaints or “serious non-compliance,” the sheriff’s department could investigate or potentially "take further action." He said those who violate the state's order can be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $750 fine.
(N'dea Yancey-Bragg. “Ohio county creates hotline for residents to report people not wearing face masks.” USA Today. July 13, 2020.)
Under the new Ohio mask order, State of Ohio employees with enforcement powers, including the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation Retail Compliance Unit, employees working on behalf of the Ohio Department of Health, representatives of local health departments, and local law enforcement are authorized to inspect and enforce the order. Details include …
All retailers shall allow representatives of the Ohio Department of Health, a local health department, or law enforcement to inspect public areas during business hours.
The representative will issue an initial warning to the business before issuing a notice of violation requiring closure.
If a notice of violation of these orders is issued by a representative from the Ohio Department of Health, a local health department, or law enforcement, the retail location must immediately shut down for no longer than 24 hours to allow for dissipation of COVID-19 airborne droplets.
People who observe violations are being encouraged to report them to the Ohio Department of Health call center at 1-833-4ASKODH (1-833-427-5634).
Here are local numbers:
Scioto County Health Department (740) 355-8358
Portsmouth City Health Department (740) 353-5153
Scioto County Sheriff's Office (740) 355-8277
Portsmouth Police (740) 353-4101
"We have agents...for the first time who are actually going out into different retails establishments to make sure that people are, in fact, wearing masks. If you're a clerk at a grocery store. You're 65. You're diabetic. You have every right to expect that the people who come through there have a mask on. While this is good compliance in many places, we have some, unfortunately, that are outliers, and we are going to work to take care of that."
– Ohio Governor Mike DeWine
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