COVID masks coming off slowly in Sacramento region. Why most people still wear them

A funny thing happened when Gov. Gavin Newsom told Californians they could finally ditch their masks.

Many of them have continued wearing them.

It’s been a week since the state’s mask mandates were lifted for shops, restaurants and most other public places for Californians who’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Yet a spot check around Sacramento this week showed plenty of people behaving as if it were still 2020.

Practically every worker and shopper at the Home Depot in south Sacramento was wearing a mask. So were most of the customers, and all of the employees, at the Raley’s on Freeport Boulevard. Arden Fair mall shoppers appeared to be more evenly split; mall spokesman Nathan Spradlin said around 60% of them were still masked as of Monday.

“Just to be safe, and to protect my family, even though I’m fully vaccinated,” said Carlos Ornelas, a Fairfield resident who donned a KN95 mask to visit the mall Monday afternoon.

When will Ornelas shed his mask? “Maybe at the end of the year,” he said.

A year ago, as the pandemic was bearing down with full force on society and the economy, masks became the latest symbol of America’s cultural and political divide. Wearing one could mark someone as a Democrat; going around barefaced was a sign of support for former President Donald Trump.

About the only thing red and blue California could agree on was that the masks were a pain to wear. Now, a good many people are reluctant to leave home without one.

“I’m a little surprised, given all the noise that was made about masking,” said Dr. Arthur Caplan, a bioethics professor at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine. “I expected ceremonial burnings.”

Caplan said the continued global presence of COVID-19, and its ability to mutate into new and potentially vaccine-resistant strains, is likely playing a role.

“People may be tracking the variants and saying, ‘Hmm, I’ll wait,’” he said.

Dr. Olivia Kasirye, the Sacramento County public health officer, said the county doesn’t have any data on how many people are still wearing masks. But she said through a county spokeswoman that it’s somewhat predictable that some are still wearing them; chances are they are close to someone who hasn’t been vaccinated, either because they’re under the age of 12 or are immuno-compromised and might not be good candidates for the vaccine.

Most Californians will eventually shed masks

The state’s new guidelines say vaccinated Californians don’t need masks “in most circumstances” but should continue wearing them on mass transit and in hospitals, homeless shelters and long-term care facilities. Masks also should be worn indoors in K-12 schools, childcare and other youth settings.

Based on the experiences in other states where mandates have been lifted earlier, Caplan said he believes most Californians will unmask themselves soon enough. Others agree.

“We figure it’s probably about a two-week process,” said Rachel Michelin, president of the California Retailers Association.

Michelin said retailers are reporting that about half of their customers are still wearing masks. It appears some shoppers put one on when they see other customers already masked — an experience she has had personally.

“I just carry one because you never know,” she said.

Michelin said there appears to be considerably less animosity these days between mask wearers and the unmasked. “People are being respectful,” she said.

Not that the return of good manners is universal. A disagreement over masks might have played a role in an infamous altercation last month on a Southwest Airlines flight from Sacramento to San Diego. A passenger allegedly punched a flight attendant, knocking out two teeth, in a fight that was recorded on video and went viral.

Back on the ground, it’s clear that many in Sacramento remain wary of the risk of infection, even if they’ve gotten their shots.

“We don’t trust that everybody’s doing the right thing,” said Carmichael resident Wendy Olson, who was strolling through Arden Fair with her husband, Mike, both of whom were masked. “And we haven’t been sick in over a year, and that’s a good thing — no flu, no cold.”

Nearby, Rebecca Blanton and her friend Sara Fornalski of Sacramento sat on a bench in the mall’s common area, both without masks.

The two women said they were vaccinated months ago and feel safe going to the mall without masks.

“I still wear it in some areas — smaller stores,” Blanton said, bouncing her baby on her knee. “If it makes other people feel more comfortable, I’ll put one on.”

‘We’re all used to it anyway’

When it comes to their workers, Raley’s, Home Depot and many other big employers have adopted the state’s new policy regarding masks — they aren’t mandatory for the fully vaccinated.

But the state allows businesses to insist on masks for customers, and some in Sacramento are doing so.

“It doesn’t really harm anyone and we’re all used to it anyway,” said Andrew Naify, manager at Beers Books in midtown, where every employee and shopper was wearing a mask Monday.

After Newsom lifted the mask mandate, Naify said Beers’ employees held a staff meeting and agreed to continue the mask requirement. A big reason was to protect families with young children who aren’t yet eligible for vaccines, he said.

A few customers have gotten annoyed when they’re reminded to put a mask on, but nobody has stormed out of the store because of it. “Over 90% of the customers are fine with it,” he said.

Many restaurants have taken a hybrid approach — masks required for their employees but not for customers, even when they’re not seated. It puts diners at ease, and employees as well.

“We don’t want to give the community the perception that we don’t care about COVID-19,” said Collin Wong, a co-owner of MAC Hospitality Group, which owns such downtown restaurants as Cafeteria 15L and Iron Horse Tavern.

Wong said it’s uncertain how long the mandate will last.

“We’ll keep this in place for the next month, and then we will reevaluate as needed,” he said.