Reality check: Are you back to dining in, or ...?

This was posted on The Irish Rover’s face book page.
This has been my concern all along. What a shame that a Louisville main stay restaurant such as The Irish Rover has to deal with fools like this. (I don’t think TIR will mind me posting it. )
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Business was pretty good today despite the weather, and we saw a lot of regulars, including some we hadn’t seen since the shutdown....a great day, right?

No. Today sucked.

Numerous guests ignored posted mask policy (including seating themselves without masks and creating a scene when asked to leave), and many refused to comply with polite requests to wear the masks when staff approached to serve them.

This isn’t about people who forget to put the masks on...we truly appreciate all of you who are trying to learn the new normal!

We’re talking about people who are openly defiant. Who stuff the mask into a pocket or zip it into a purse. Who laugh and say they’ll “try.”

We hate having to be the mask police. It’s exhausting (and costly...one table walked out cursing at us, and without paying for their drinks). But we are trying to protect the health of our staff and guests.

What’s really upsetting, though, is the complete lack of concern for the health of the people trying to serve you. It’s demoralizing and dehumanizing, and it’s really hurts.

We love the restaurant business, but this is soul crushing. And it has us wondering why we are working so hard to keep going.

There is an incident recounted on local social media that may or may not be true, but it perfectly captures the attitude we encountered so many times today:

A woman enters an empty coffee shop, and, when asked by the barista to put on a mask, she replies:
“Why? There’s no one here”

[Robin Garr]

It's kind of incredible that wearing masks has been made a political wedge issue, Carla, but then, we live in bizarre times.

It’s amazing that the “wedge issue” is a fight for the freedom to be allowed to endanger as many other lives as possible for the most inane reasons available.

I can offer some insight on this subject based on a rather unique experience.

I have attended all four of the Louisville City soccer matches held here in Lynn Family Stadium since July 12. By any account I've read, it is the largest attended sporting event held in the country at this time. Each game has been capped at 4,850 in a stadium designed to hold a little over 15,000.

I held off reporting on this until sufficient time had elapsed and for the experience to repeat several times to see how it would evolve. I also had to get tested for covid for my job. I was tested Friday, got results yesterday and am negative. I've never felt any symptom anyway.

So why is this working? Why has Gov Beshear allowed this to not only proceed, but to point to it as a best practice example?

There are several reasons. Since attendance is limited at 4,850 (which sounds so huge these days!), season ticket holders with most longevity and commitment have been allotted tickets. So the fans are very keen on the relationship between good behavior and awards. In other words--we know this is a privilege that could be whisked away at the first screwup!

A company was hired to deal with protocol and sanitation. The entry ways are well spaced and times are suggested for entry according to seating to allow for an easy entry flow. Temperatures are also taken before entry. The stadium is very large and there is no problem avoiding people walking around. Seating has been redistributed to keep families in clusters with 6 ft of seating on all sides. The supporter zones where people stand (I am in these areas) are comfortably well spaced. Hand sanitizers are easy to find and workers are cleaning, overlooking restrooms, and looking out for masks.

Masks are mandatory and enforced at the highest level. I would say at game one, and less so at game two, people tended to have them but pull them down as they drank/ate and spaced from others. This is no longer the case. It was made clear that that was not good enough---they must be worn at all moments. If you take a sip or a bite you pull down a bit, enter your product by mouth, then pull it back up in between product entry. It is clear and people have complied. It has been hot out there. But I can tell you that I've had my mask on along with everyone else at all times. It is a sight to see and sets a great example of what we can accomplish if we all use common sense--and have incentive such as no mask compliance, no game!

Anyways, it must still be going well because my ticket for next Saturday's game has already been deposited in my seatgeek account. If I get sick from covid, I am confident that it will likely come from somewhere other than attending a soccer match at Lynn Family Stadium! The ownership, workers, players, and fans know that we carry a heavy responsibility. And it is quite heartening to be part of the collective effort and harmony to show that it can be done.

So if I’m correct, the equation goes like this -
Profits > value of human life.

I’ve gone back and reread this thread and realize my statement could be misconstrued. Please allow me to clarify....
My last post wasn’t directed at any business that has reopened under the governor ‘s guidelines and are adhering to them. I commend them for the attempt. I will say I am surprised that a gathering the size of a sporting match, especially one indoors, hasn’t caused some spread of the virus whether or not all attendees are aware of any. James I’m glad you are well but you can’t speak for everyone there that attended or the households all those people that they went home to. Time will tell I suppose, I just don’t understand people willing to gamble with their own or the lives of others when all we have to do is wait for a while until we either flatten the curve or a vaccine. But numbers and spiking show we are not there yet.

If EVERYONE wears a mask, then most things are relatively safe. BUT, the problem is that we have this small group of people who believe that wearing a mask is a matter of personal liberty (they still dont understand that wearing a mask protects others, not you, which is why it only works if everyone is wearing one) and refuse to wear one. Lots of people are more concerned about the economy than lives lost to COVID19, and I am not here to judge them, but to simply say that if we all wore masks and socially distanced as much as possible, a lot more business could be conducted with minimal interruptions. People want to live, but they also need money to pay rent, buy food, etc. I get it. Wear a mask and we can stay safe and stay in business.

I agree with your sentiments 100% Carla, but please do note that the soccer stadium is outdoors, not indoors. I'm still hesitant to go, but I absolutely would not if it were indoors. As far as I know, there aren't any indoor sporting events with fans in this country, at least not sanctioned.

Thanks for re-posting, Carla. Your initial reaction was a bit of a head scratcher. But your followup puts that to rest.

My posting was not intended to make a persuasive argument for or against anything. It was intended to serve as an example of how we are able to navigate these precarious waters if we are careful, thoughtful, and realistic about the matter. I purposely waited several weeks to make sure there was a pattern showing that responsible behavior can yield acceptable results. Has there maybe been a few people or so who have contacted the virus due to their attendance? Perhaps. But you can bet that that place has been combed through thoroughly by folks looking for the first excuse to shut it down. Thus far the proof is in the pudding that is still on the table.

As for me personally, I have no problem walking in a park where possibly hundreds of people are walking, attending an outdoor soccer match that is well managed, or hanging out a few hours at Kentucky Kingdom among a sparse crowd spread over 60+ acres. But I'm nervous in a Thortons or Speedway with 5-6 people inside not wearing masks. And would not even want to be in a bar with 30-40 unmasked people laughing and yelling across each other w/o a concern whatsoever.

I agree with your sentiments 100% Carla, but please do note that the soccer stadium is outdoors, not indoors. I'm still hesitant to go, but I absolutely would not if it were indoors. As far as I know, there aren't any indoor sporting events with fans in this country, at least not sanctioned.

My mistake. I read soccer and my mind immediately went to Mockingbird Valley. Being outdoors DOES make a big difference I think.
Mostly I’m frustrated because I’m in Oldham Co and have had to resort to shopping in Jefferson because So few in OC Wear a mask, take pride in that idiotic stance, and think nothing of deriding anyone wearing a mask.

Does anyone else remember what it was like 40 years or so ago when MADD started bringing to light the dangers of drunk drivers? Gradually police and new mandates started reflecting a sterner stance on drinking and driving and boy did drinkers revolt! I was bartending then. The biggest loudmouth against the new laws called MADD every filthy name in the book. Then his dog was run over by a kid driving drunk. His dog. He converted overnight. What a shame he couldn’t work out that same equation when it was someone’s child.

I have friends in Oldham County who have mentioned the same mask-aversion. To be honest, that doesn't surprise me since Oldham County, being the wealthiest in the state, surely has a high quotient of those whose privilege make them unwilling to be inconvenienced.

I imagine that many of the same people who view being asked to wear a mask in a restaurant as an infringement on their rights would freak if someone at the next table lit up a cigarette.