Businesses weigh in on CDC change to mask guidance

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - The Center for Disease Control and Prevention eased its guidance Friday on masks indoors.

The significant change comes as COVID cases have plummeted and vaccinations are more accessible. Now, businesses are left deciding to keep or ditch the mask.

Masks have become a staple to everyday wardrobes for the last two years, and some are ready to go without.

“If the CDC recommends that it’s time, then I’m going to probably fall in their footsteps. You know, go along with those lines,” shopper Andy Stock said.

On the other hand, Tony Fogg, who cares for his mother, said ditching the mask is not worth the risk.

“Some people are not honest in telling you they’ve had the shots,” Fogg said. “So, you don’t know who’s had the shots and who hasn’t, so you still have to be cautious.”

With new guidance from the CDC, some businesses are left deciding whether or not to keep signs requiring masks on the door.

“We have a sign that’s up that says “masks recommended” for the safety of our customers and volunteers and our staff,” Aisha Eqbal, executive director at Ten Thousand Villages, said.

She said that she has to figure out what’s best and that masks will likely still be recommended for customers.

“For volunteers and staff, I might still require it. So, that’s where I’m kind of on the fence with it,” she said.

Eqbal said that business owners in Carytown are looking forward to this glimpse of normalcy, especially with spring and summer right around the corner.

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