Businesses hope lifting of Kansas City's mask mandate brings customers into stores

[TexasTowelie]

Pandemic weary businesses hope that the end of the mask mandate in Kansas City will soon lead to a crush of customers through their doors.

The City Council voted to rescind the city’s mask order on Thursday, but approved keeping a mandate for kids and adults in school.

Businesses in Kansas City may still ask that patrons wear a mask to enter. There’s is also a mask rule in place at city buildings, and masks must still be worn in federal buildings and at the Kansas City International Airport.

Although the lifting of the mandate was hailed by some, businesses, especially smaller ones, said what they need most is for shoppers to return and make the cash registers start ringing.

Read more: https://www.kansascity.com/news/coronavirus/article255574166.html

[Tanuki]

1. Having a mask mandate makes it more likely that I would go to a store.

Personally, I am more likely to shop online or do without rather than go into a store with poor safety protocols.

[Sherman A1]

2. Same here.

I will move my shopping to stores that require masks or do my shopping online for the few things I need. I suspect lifting the mandate will be a mixed bag for the merchants.

[Irish_Dem]

3. I agree. Lifting the mandate would act as a deterrent for me.

[tanyev]

4. Yep, me too.

First thing I did once I was fully vaccinated was go back inside the grocery store instead of curbside pickup. Soon after that, our idiot governor dropped the Texas mask mandate. I made it about 3 or 4 weeks--seeing increasingly fewer masks every time I went in. That, plus talk about all the imminent travel for the 4th of July holiday and I said, "Screw it, I'm going back to curbside pickup." Haven't gone back inside yet.

[jimfields33]

5. Doesn't it feel like we're out of the worst of this pandemic

It used to be the central topic of conversation but now hardly a peep. It seems the last six weeks has changed. Hopefully it continues.

[Tanuki]

6. I wish I could share your optimism. Here in Nashville, the rate of test positivity

was down to about 1.5% in early June, but then it soared up to about 15% over the next several weeks. It was even higher elsewhere in the state. A couple of days ago it was 5.6% and trending downward, but it feels to me like it could easily spike again, especially with holiday gatherings. Our idiot governor and GOP state legislature seem to do everything they can to aid and abet the virus.