Texas open for business, and more mask warfare

Texan shoppers were able to do away with their masks from Wednesday, but the lifting of a state regulation has exposed many businesses to the highly politicized issue of mask wearing.

On March 2, Republican Governor Greg Abbott gave notice of the policy change when he declared "it is now time to open Texas 100 percent".

However, a decision from a major retailer highlights the contrasting attitudes to face masks in many parts of the US during the coronavirus pandemic.

The San Antonio-based grocery chain H-E-B last week said it would "encourage" instead of "require "customers to continue to wear masks in its stores. That decision caused a backlash from loyal customers and was criticized by two members of the San Antonio City Council. The retailer then reverted to the mask requirement.

Chief Executive Officer Scott McClelland told the Houston Chronicle newspaper that belligerent customers have caused nearly 2,000 in-store incidents related to masks at Houston stores alone. H-E-B, founded in Texas in 1905, has 400 stores in Texas and Mexico and 185,000 employees.

McClelland said that of all the issues the grocery chain has dealt with over the past year, masks are the most polarizing because in part they are used as a political weapon.

A Houston H-E-B store manager described such incidents to the website Vice last December: "Many have become verbally and even physically abusive in some stores. I have been personally told by customers that H-E-B does not honor the rights they fought for in the war, told they have medical concerns with masks."

McClelland said: "What's important to me is, I've got to ensure for the physical safety of both my employees and customers in the store."

However, loyal customers accused H-E-B of putting profit ahead of customers' health safety.

The backlash prompted H-E-B to reverse its policy and to issue another statement on Friday: "While statewide policy has changed, our store protocol has not. Mask use at our stores will remain."