New Hope, a research group has documented a willingness by consumers to wear face coverings in indoor areas. In late July, 39 percent of respondents indicated a definite intention of remasking. An August 9th survey indicated an increase in mask compliance to 50 percent. Conversely, respondents who indicated that they would probably not wear masks dropped from 12 percent to six percent over the two week period. The change in attitude is attributed to the emergence of the Delta variant and the realization that clinical cases, hospitalizations, and fatalities are increasing sharply, especially in counties and states with a low proportion of the eligible population vaccinated. Approximately 65 percent of respondents considered that masks should be worn in supermarkets, indoor concerts, and sporting events. A high proportion of consumers indicated that they were more comfortable in stores with a mask mandate especially for employees and fellow customers.
The FDA approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine has contributed to mandates that will be adopted by the food supply chain from production through processing to retail. Concurrently in many jurisdictions, state, county, or municipal authorities require masks in public places relieving retailers of the obligation to unilaterally require masks. Enforcement may still be a problem, especially with customers that are opposed to commonsense precautionary measures regarded as a “freedom and individual rights issue” and not simply a public health measure.