CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Leaders in Mecklenburg County are echoing concerns from state leaders about people not wearing face masks while in public, with the topic becoming one of the main discussion points of a business roundtable Monday afternoon.
The meeting, which featured business leaders, touched on a number of topics, but the dominant subject was face masks and how to get people to wear them as the state of North Carolina continues Phase 1 of Governor Roy Cooper's reopening plan.
"it was very worrisome, how relaxed everybody is outside," said one business owner. "We've been getting a lot of feedback from people about not seeing as many people as they would like to see wearing face coverings when they leave their home."
Dr. Mandy Cohen with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services says it's part of the three W's: Wearing a mask, washing your hands and waiting six feet apart.
County Manager Dena Diorio says they've created a toolkit with signage, one specifically addressing face coverings.
"We certainly couldn't mandate it, but having a policy for businesses saying, 'if you don't wear a mask, we're not going to serve you' might be a way to encourage people," Diorio said.
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The problem is sign is exactly that, only a sign.
"If neither the business or the customer is following the guidelines, who would be enforcing the guidelines?" One business owner asked.
Another member acknowledged that's a big ask for employees to enforce those guidelines.
"I put myself in the place of a 17-year-old kid telling a 45-year-old man you can't come in this door with a face covering," they said.
Beyond that, it's also a big ask for businesses, especially for smaller businesses who are just now getting back open amid the pandemic. Ultimately, the roundtable believes they need to work on messaging that would make people want to wear a mask.
"We get a culture going of these things are as much about protecting someone else as it is about protecting you," said one business owner. "Especially our oldest generation."
The idea of wearing masks is part of making people comfortable enough to leave the house again and the county says they're now looking into getting businesses training on how to navigate these issues.