It appears that we’re getting another wave of reopenings now.
Every day, there is another headline about a state governor announcing the end of an indoor mask mandate or other COVID-19 protocol. Sure, plenty of states already ended, or never even had, mask mandates, but it would appear that there’s enough drive at the moment for more cautious governments to start acting like we’re entering endemic status.
As far as I know, however, COVID-19 is still technically a pandemic, at least for a little while longer.
Up until this point, I know hotel companies generally have been very responsible in following the state and local health regulations that apply to guests and employees. As more states loosen rules, I would expect hotel companies to change their policies to reflect the new situation.
Everyone is anxious to finally put the pandemic behind us. Masks are a visible, physical reminder that it’s still here, and that can make it difficult to move on. That can be a good thing, though, to keep us from moving too quickly and then causing another surge in cases because we ran out of patience — understandable to a degree.
That said, as we begin moving toward a world in which COVID-19 is endemic, please realize not everyone is going to be comfortable with that. Yes, at some point, everyone must move outside of their comfort zone, but it’s still somewhat early in the process. COVID-19 has not officially reached endemic status, and until that happens, there will be people who still want to take extra steps to protect themselves.
As company executives move forward with ending indoor mask requirements, as allowed by local and state regulations, they should continue to leave masking an option for employees. Maybe that sounds like an absurd thing, that an employer would not allow the choice to mask, but there absolutely are companies out there that won’t let employees wear a mask if indoor masking requirements are lifted. Perhaps there’s an exception if there’s a medical reason, but that’s an unnecessary hurdle for employees.
Maybe those employers want to move on as quickly as possible, do away with all reminders of the pandemic and show that business has moved back to normalcy. Perhaps they fall into the “hoax” crowd and only allowed masking so they wouldn’t get fined or shut down.
Whatever the reason, those are bad policies and will hurt the employees who want to keep masking until they are comfortable enough to take the masks off. With the labor shortage hurting hotel staffing levels, employers shouldn’t give employees an incentive to leave.
We’ll get there. It’s going to take time, but the pandemic will end. Until that happens, give people the chance to move on at their own pace.
You can reach me at bwroten@hotelnewsnow.com or @HNN_Bryan.
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