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Mask mandate gets mixed grades from Northeast Michiganders

News File Photo Devanne Smith, Shawn Washer, and Penny Jurvelin shop for face masks in downtown Alpena in this July 2020 News archive photo.

ALPENA — After weeks waxing and waning popularity of mask-wearing in response to the state’s suggestion that people cover their noses and mouths to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, this week brought a new sight to Alpena stores: every face masked, whether they liked it or not.

An order by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that took effect Monday mandates all people to wear a mask while indoors in public and outdoors if they can’t be six feet away from strangers, with a limited number of exceptions. Businesses are required to prohibit entry to anyone not wearing a mask, under the threat of financial and licensing sanctions.

At stores around town on Wednesday, shoppers were masked, with some people kept out of stores because they wouldn’t wear a face covering. Many seemed to be at least resigned to the new restrictions, and some felt mandated mask-wearing will protect the community.

At Walmart, where one of the store’s two entrances is blocked from use, a greeter stationed outside the store cautioned shoppers to watch their step and thanked customers for wearing their masks.

Most people complied with the new restrictions, he reported, although on Monday he had to turn away several who refused to wear a mask.

News Photo by Julie Riddle Masked crafters work with power tools on Wednesday afternoon in the warm stained glass studio of My Glass Wings in downtown Alpena.

They weren’t too happy about it, he said.

Jennifer Guyette — shopping in the snacks aisle at Walmart on Wednesday afternoon with her sons Lukes, 13, and Christian, 9 — said she’s not sure masks are actually effective.

She still wears them, the Alpena resident said, because that’s the rule, but, with all the conflicting information in the news, she said it’s hard to know what to believe.

“With them being mandated, it seems to be causing more problems than we already had,” she said, referencing mask-related violence at a Lansing-area business on Monday. “I feel like it’s doing more harm than good, almost.”

Christian Guyette said he’s pretty sure his cactus-print mask isn’t really keeping him safe, but he still wears it.

News Photo by Julie Riddle A greeter waits for customers outside the Alpena Meijer on Tuesday.

“It’s because we kind of have to,” the boy said.

Lincoln residents Karen and Eric Johnson were shopping across the street at Meijer, where a greeter stood outside near a sign requiring masks for entry. The Johnsons wish masks had been required sooner.

A nurse who believes in the value of a mask to protect lives, Karen Johnson said coronavirus cases are exploding because people aren’t taking the pandemic seriously.

“I think it’s better to be safe and just go along with it until it hopefully goes away,” she reflected, “instead of just saying, ‘Oh, it’s not up here and we’re safe.'”

If requirements had been stricter four months ago, the virus might not have spread so widely, said her husband, who worries about visitors from more-populated areas bringing the virus north.

“All it takes is one visitor,” he said.

Click through the interactive timeline below to see how the virus spread through Northeast Michigan. Story continues below timeline.


Across the store, selecting apples in the produce department, Vicki Raymond — a visitor from Ohio — said she and a sister from North Carolina are going into stores to get groceries, but otherwise pretty much stay put in the second home where they’re vacationing.

Mask restrictions are county-specific where she’s from, Raymond said, based on criteria such as hospital admissions and number of positive tests. In her county, stores are allowed to deny entry to customers without masks, although people are not being fined for getting caught without a face covering.

“I mean, nobody really likes wearing masks,” Raymond said. “But if it’s making people safer, I don’t understand why everybody complains so much about it. They don’t want to be told what to do, I guess.”

In downtown Alpena, artist Stephanie LaFramboise, tending register at the Thunder Bay Arts Council and Gallery, said visitors to the gallery were wearing masks even before they were mandatory.

State and national leaders make decisions based on science and data for the good of everyone, she thinks.

“I see nothing wrong with just going along with what they say,” LaFramboise said.

At the My Glass Wings studio on 2nd Avenue, owner Tina Montgmery said the mask rules are making running her business challenging.

Using an 800-degree soldering iron heats a person up, and a mask doesn’t help, acknowledged one busy crafter attending a stained-glass-making class at the business on Wednesday afternoon.

Classes, held several days a week, have to be limited in size to allow for social distancing, and some regulars have been unable to come because they can’t safely wear a mask.

So far, nobody’s refused to put on a mask, though, Montgomery said.

Devanne Smith, Shawn Washer, and Penny Jurvelin, workers from Lapeer and Flushing who conduct inventory at Meijer stores statewide, bought new masks from downtown Alpena shops on Wednesday afternoon.

Smith, who said wearing a mask all the time is nothing new to essential workers, dreams of travelling abroad some day — something she hopes will be possible if everyone works together to beat the virus.

“We should stop thinking along the lines of individualism,” Smith said. “We should stop thinking about ourselves and think more about the people around us.”

Julie Riddle can be reached at 989-358-5693, jriddle@thealpenanews.com or on Twitter @jriddleX.

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