Local man expresses concerns about non-enforcement of mask mandate

Before you enter Walmart, the store does have a sign placed in the front that states, “Face coverings are required for all customers and associates, per local/state order. (Marvin Richards/News-Times)
Before you enter Walmart, the store does have a sign placed in the front that states, “Face coverings are required for all customers and associates, per local/state order. (Marvin Richards/News-Times)

A Walmart spokesperson asked what local law enforcement’s stance on enforcing the state’s mandate on face masks and COVID-19 guidelines was after questions arose about the local store’s enforcement of the mandate and their store policy.

Kevin Smith, of Strong, is seeking to raise awareness about a lack of enforcement he said he has witnessed at El Dorado’s Walmart.

“I noticed a lot going wrong at Walmart,” Smith said. “They have masks at the greeters’ booth but they are not enforcing their own face mask requirement.”

Smith said he does a great deal of his shopping at El Dorado’s Walmart Supercenter. He is a cancer survivor, diabetic and has epilepsy. Smith says he takes the necessary precautions to stay safe during the pandemic; seeing so many people granted access to Walmart with no mask upsets him, he said.

He asked for empathy and understanding around following the established COVID-19 guidelines, especially since people with underlying health conditions like his are a vulnerable demographic.

COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing across the country with an average of 54.2 thousand new cases each week, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Here in Union County, a total of 62 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Friday by the Arkansas Department of Health, bringing the cumulative total of cases identified in the county to 2,729. Additionally, 76 people in Union County had died by Friday as a result of the virus and over 300 cases were active that day.

Cases are on the rise everywhere. Tammy McCall, local health unit administrator of Union County Health Unit referred the News-Times to a June 19, 2020 directive by the ADH, called “Guidance on the Use of Face Coverings by the General Public,” that she says still holds true to this day.

The directive states, “More and more evidence supports the efficacy of wearing masks for the prevention of transmission of COVID-19: A recent modeling study reported that when face masks are used by a majority of the population in public settings (not just symptomatic people), the effective reproductive number for SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) falls below 1.0. This would decrease the spread of COVID-19, flatten future disease waves, and allow people to resume normal activities with greatly reduced risk.”

“It makes no sense to have masks at the greeters’ booth but don’t pass them out and steadily let people walk in without a mask,” Smith said. “They act like COVID is not real.”

“Something needs to be done at the El Dorado Walmart,” he added

Smith said he called the Walmart corporate office on Dec. 28, 2020 and was told that they would refer the problem to the upper management at El Dorado’s Walmart.

“I don’t know if they are going to follow through with what they told me but I’m not going to stop raising concern until something is done about this,” Smith said.

A News-Times reporter visited Walmart on Dec. 29, 2020. At the entrance is a sign that states, “Face coverings are required for all customers and associates, per local/state order.”

A mask mandate imposed in Arkansas in July by Gov. Asa Hutchinson and the ADH requires every person in Arkansas to wear a face covering completely over the mouth and nose in all indoor environments, excluding private residences, where they are exposed to non-household members and social distancing of six feet or more cannot be assured and in all outdoor settings.

In a 15 minute time frame, a News-Times reporter saw 11 people enter Walmart unmasked, and an additional seven leave mask-less as they walked from the self-checkout kiosks toward the exit. The greeters’ booth was initially staffed by one person, but they were joined by a second staffer for a few minutes within the 15 minutes. No one who entered the store without a mask was asked to put one on as far as the News-Times reporter observed. One greeter did talk on their radio once as the reporter was observing.

The News-Times reporter observed two more people enter the store without a mask as they waited approximately 10 minutes to speak with a store manager; 22 people were seen entering and leaving Walmart without a mask in the 25 minutes the News-Times reporter was on-scene.

An assistant manager of the local Walmart referred the News-Times to Walmart’s corporate office, saying they were not authorized to give statements on behalf of the company.

Rebecca Thomason, a Walmart spokesperson, said the company has largely seen customers comply with local mask mandates.

“During this challenging time, we’re working to balance health and safety concerns while still meeting the needs and expectations of our customers and associates. We’ve seen a positive response to the measures we’ve taken and are pleased that the vast majority of the 150 million customers who visit us each week are wearing masks,” Thomason said.

“If a customer doesn’t want to wear a face covering, our Health Ambassadors notify a member of management, who will talk to the customer and try to find a solution,” she added.

According to a July 15, 2020 Walmart press release on face mask protocols, the health ambassadors that Thomason referred to are supposed to be identifiable by their black polo shirts. However, the greeter observed at the El Dorado Walmart on Dec. 29 was wearing a white long sleeve shirt and a yellow Walmart vest.

The 22 people the News-Times reporter witnessed without a mask were not given a mask as Thomason said is protocol.

Thomason said she was unsure whether greeters were to adhere to the same protocols for mask-less customers as health ambassadors.

“I have to check into that, I’m not really sure,” she said.

When asked about the enforcement of Arkansas’ face mask mandate and Walmart’s own face mask requirement, Thomason asked whether the mandate was being enforced by local law enforcement.

“What is the El Dorado Police Department’s take on enforcement? If they get a call from a local retailer, will they come out and assist the retailer?” Thomason asked.

Several videos have gone viral over the summer and fall of last year showing confrontations in public spaces about masks. Local law enforcement officials said earlier last year that it was unlikely they would enforce the state’s mask mandate.

The News-Times has reached out to both El Dorado Police Chief Kenny Hickman and Union County Sheriff Ricky Roberts numerous times over the span of two weeks and neither returned the phone calls or voicemails.

In July of 2020, both Hickman and Roberts said they would enforce requirements made by private property owners.

“The bottom line is that we just do not have the leeway (in resources) to give the attention to this, and perhaps it’s best that we don’t,” Hickman said in July.

“I don’t anticipate us writing citations, because I don’t feel like anybody’s going to blatantly not participate in trying to stop the spread,” Roberts said in July. “It’s one of those laws and rules we hope everyone will follow and not make our job any more difficult than it already is.”

The very predicament Roberts highlighted as a possibility is now ongoing. Smith said he hopes he can appeal to others in the community.

“I’m just a concerned citizen,” Smith said. “I’m looking out for people that are trying to follow the guidelines and the ones that aren’t. If they don’t stand up for their own health then maybe I should because COVID-19 is real and needs to be taken seriously.”

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