Walmart mandated masks nationwide, now all retailers should too

July 15, By Dacona Smith, Chief Operating Officer, Walmart U.S., and Lance de la Rosa, Chief Operating Officer, Sam’s Club Starting Monday, July 20th we will require all shoppers to wear a face covering.

THIS IS GREAT NEWS! This is huge! I could go on about how this should have happened MONTHS ago. I could speculate how their customers will react. But what I want to do instead is use Walmart’s action as leverage to GET MANDATED MASK REQUIREMENTS IN ALL OTHER RETAIL STORES IN THE COUNTRY.

That’s it. That’s your action step for today. Corporate America now has a model they can follow. If you want, you can read the link to their press release on the mask policy to see how they justify it and how they are dealing with customers. Then tweet, email, FB and call other retail store headquarters and ask. “When will you be issuing a nationwide mask policy like Walmart?” If they say they are not, ask why.

Here’s the piece I wrote two months ago on how to get retailers to pass mask requirements. I have a lot of good advice, but this Walmart announcement is going to help convince the . . . → Read More: Walmart mandated masks nationwide, now all retailers should too

Trump’s using the NRA’s playbook to block mask laws & accept COVID deaths in schools

The reopening schools issue reminds me of how in many states school boards had to decide about arming teachers.

No national or state mask mandate means that decisions are pushed down to cities, counties and school boards. When there is no law and no funding strings boards can be swayed by the powerful & organized people in their community.

In the past the “guns everywhere” people were better organized, had better lobbyists and catchier messaging. So they won.

Lately the Parkland activists, MDA and other groups fought back at the state and local level. But they didn’t always win.

I watched a LOT of those meetings. Allowing those boards to make life or death medical decisions is crazy.

Part of the blame goes to medical professionals and scientists who say, “Just look at the data!” Elected officials can be craven cowards. They don’t make decisions based on reason alone.

The data alone isn’t going to make elected officials act the way we want, so we must use other pressures.

In Florida I watched school boards decide about arming teachers. The Governor said, “You have to do something from the options we decided on.”

The choices were cops in . . . → Read More: Trump’s using the NRA’s playbook to block mask laws & accept COVID deaths in schools

Supervisors rescinded public health orders. People died. Who’s responsible?

Barbara Feder Ostrov, contributing writer Cal Matters

Hi Barbara: I just read your great CALmed article from June 16th about how Public Health Officers were being threatened and quitting. You also linked to the Orange County Board of Supervisors’ meeting on May 26th. I watched most of that video. https://ocgov.granicus.com/player/clip/3709 (especially the comments starting at 2:09)

I saw the Sheriff say he wouldn’t enforce mask laws. I saw people stand up and threaten Orange County Chief Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick. They rejected the order to wear masks with factually incorrect or misleading information.

In this March 2020 photo, Orange County, Calif., Chief Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick listens during a coronavirus press conference in Santa Ana, Calif. D.r. Quick resigned Monday, June 8, 2020, after receiving threats over her order for residents wear to face coverings when near others in public to protect against the coronavirus. Quick is the seventh senior health official to resign in California since the pandemic began and the officials suddenly faced unprecedented pressure, criticism and threats, said Kat DeBurgh, executive director of the Health Officers Association of California. (Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register via AP)

It’s July 5th and cases are rising . . . → Read More: Supervisors rescinded public health orders. People died. Who’s responsible?