Watch this video. Louie Gohmert reminds me of the lady I saw at the Publix on N Market.
Tuesday night I went to the grocery store. The county I live in now has a directive to wear a mask. The directive is explicit in the responsibility of the individual to wear a mask and the legal obligation and responsibility of the business to respond to a situation when a customer isn’t wearing a facial covering. The legal obligation of the business is simple: make certain that ALL customers wear a mask and if a customer isn’t wearing a mask or won’t wear a mask, the customer MUST leave the store.
The grocery store was a Publix grocery store. Located on North Market Street in Chattanooga Tennessee.
I was shopping and observed another customer enter the store. Stop at the Customer Service kiosk and speak with the person behind the protective window. The customer had a bandana around her neck, but at no time did she cover her face with the bandana.
I saw this in progress and stopped to watch. I was curious as to how the Publix representative behind the counter would handle the situation. The interaction lasted several minutes and the customer moved into the store, without her bandana covering her face. The Publix representative never told the customer to cover her face or leave the store, as required by the directive.
The customer completed her shopping and proceeded to check out. At no time from the time she entered the store did any one ask her to cover her face with her bandana or leave the store, as required by the directive.
I had a brief conversation with the customer as she was leaving the store and ask to speak to a manager.
The conversation with the manager was non productive. The manager basically telling me that they can’t enforce customers wearing a mask, or not wearing a mask.
Can’t or Won’t…?
This is from the Directive: Businesses shall not allow anyone to enter or remain in their establishment unless they are wearing a facial covering.
The directive is clear. The BUSINESS, represented by Management of a business or the owner has a legal obligation to prevent anyone from entering or remaining in the business if the customers refuse to wear a facial mask or covering. It’s that simple and didn’t happen at the Publix on Tuesday night.
Based on my experience Tuesday night, Publix is in violation of the Hamilton County Face Mask Directive.
Tennessee is now on trajectory of a dangerous increase of Covid- Trump Flu. Hamilton County has implemented a face covering directive. There are several levels of responsibility and legal obligation.
First, the individual citizen has the responsibility to wear a mask as outlined by the directive. Second, every business has the responsibility and legal obligation to make certain all individual inside the business wear a face covering or leave the store. Third, citizens have the responsibility to report egregious infractions of the directive. And fourth, County agencies charged with enforcement, must enforce the directive. Otherwise it’s just words on a piece of paper or on a computer screen.
But is this an egregious infraction? Yes. Egregious not because there were 40 customers not wearing a mask. But egregious because of the lack of response from Publix employees who have a legal obligation to inform the customer to wear a mask or ask the customer to leave the store.
And Publix management and employees did nothing as required by the directive. That is egregious.
Here's A Thing... 