Should Missourians be required to wear face masks while grocery shopping?

Grocery stores are considered essential businesses that are allowed to remain open during a statewide stay-at-home order issued by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s administration to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Supermarkets and the employees who stock the shelves, man the cashiers and fill online orders are a lifeline for all of us during this extraordinary time. But public-facing employees such as grocery and retail workers are putting themselves in harm’s way every day that they report to work.

They are at risk of contracting or spreading the respiratory virus that has largely shut down the country. And each day brings new reports of grocery workers who have died from the coronavirus.

Unlike some others on the frontlines, grocery workers have few options to protect themselves. Their jobs require interacting with the public without the benefit of specialized gear, as employees navigate a never-ending stream of customers stocking up for life in lockdown.

So, it’s up to shoppers to help keep grocery employees safe and healthy.

A recent letter sent to the governor’s office urged Parson to issue an executive order requiring customers to wear protective masks while shopping in public. The governor — who believes that personal responsibility is almost always the answer — does not plan to act on the request from United Food Commercial Workers Local 655, a union representing grocery store workers in eastern Missouri.

“At this time, Governor Parson will not be amending his ‘Stay Home Missouri’ Order to require shoppers to wear face coverings,” a statement from Parson’s office said.

A similar request was sent to Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly. The Democratic governor has yet to require face coverings in public.

Parson said individual businesses have a responsibility to protect their employees and customers from the coronavirus.

But if governors won’t act on the call for donning masks while shopping, the rest of us should. Cloth face coverings lower the risk of transmission of the coronavirus, health officials say.

New Jersey requires the use of masks while shopping. So do cities such as Los Angeles. Some grocery chains nationwide have instituted their own requirements.

At this point, there’s no debate about the importance of wearing a mask while in public. And while our country has been slow to acknowledge that reality, for now, it’s simply a necessary precaution while shopping.

For the most part, grocers in Missouri have provided their employees with masks, gloves and other protective items such as sneeze guards, disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer.

Grocery operators have been aggressive in their efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Store hours have been cut. One-way aisles have been implemented. Restrictions have been placed on the numbers of customers allowed in a store at one time.

But what can shoppers do to protect workers, themselves and others from the disease?

To slow its spread, consumers must abide by the safety measures outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC recommends that shoppers maintain a social distance of six feet or more; wear a mask; avoid touching items without purchasing them; use cashless pay; have a shopping list readily available; and keep family outings that include grocery stores to a minimum, among other precautions.

People should also refrain from shopping while sick and follow individual store policies and other forms of common decency.

Consumers who ignore these warnings are putting workers at risk.

“We’re all in this together,” said Jon McCormick, president of the Retail Grocers Association of Greater Kansas City.

The top level of state government has refused to protect grocery workers in Missouri, Local 655 president David Cook said.

The union’s request for the governor to designate grocery workers temporary first responders was denied. A plea to help them qualify for federal COVID-19 relief funds to pay for daycare was ignored.

Parson’s hesitancy to act has been his go-to move during the coronavirus pandemic, as the governor has carefully avoided moving urgently to protect public health. Missouri was one of the last states in the country to issue a stay-at-home order.

Grocery store workers shouldn’t count on Parson for help. A government mandate will not be forthcoming.

Instead, in the interest of both customers’ and employees’ health and safety, all Missourians should cover their faces while shopping to protect grocery workers from contracting and spreading the coronavirus.

This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM.