I recently went into a pet supply store in Windham and was surprised that none of the staff was wearing masks, and neither was a customer leaving the store.

I asked the cashier why she was not wearing a mask, and she replied that she had one if I wanted her to put it on. I asked her if she knew that it was a requirement because physical distancing was impossible at her cash register, where her employer had provided no shield. She shrugged her shoulders and said that her manager told her she didn’t have to wear a mask if she didn’t want to.

I have been in a number of stores where either people are not wearing masks or are wearing them incorrectly. I understand that the governor cannot adequately enforce her executive order – which leaves it up to the rest of us to self-enforce. When will we realize the difference between license and freedom? When we will get that, even though we live in a nation entrenched in “rugged individualism,” we will thrive only in community?

Business owners: Please insist that your staff and customers wear masks. It is a sign that you respect your customer base, because we wear masks less to protect ourselves and more to protect those with whom we come into contact. Wearing masks is in your self-interest because, if we don’t, we will delay a true reopening of the economy here in Maine

Nancy Foran
Naples