RILA Response to Governors Revoking Mask Mandates

Requiring Masks is Still Prudent Course of Action

By [ Jason Brewer ]
Washington, DC
03/03/2021

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) issued the following statement from Executive Vice President, Communications and State Affairs Jason Brewer in response to recent moves by several governors, including Texas and Mississippi, to roll back mask mandates.

"If the goal is to get schools, restaurants, ballparks and other industries open without capacity restrictions, requiring masks for a few more weeks is still the prudent course of action until more Americans have the opportunity to be vaccinated. Relaxing common-sense, non-intrusive safety protocols like wearing masks is a mistake. We support governors re-opening their economies and giving beleaguered restaurants and other small businesses the opportunity to rebuild and rehire workers. But going backwards on safety measures will unfairly put retail employees back in the role of enforcing guidelines still recommended by the CDC and other public health advocates. It could also jeopardize the safety of pharmacies and grocers that are gearing up as vaccination centers to administer millions of shots in the coming months.

"Tremendous strides have been made in recent weeks lowering the rate of COVID-19 infections and vaccinating seniors and other vulnerable populations, and President Biden’s announcement yesterday that every adult will have access to a vaccine by the end of May is great news. We should not jeopardize this progress with a premature victory celebration."

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