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Idaho businesses grapple with CDC's recommendation for all customers to mask up

"We are kind of ready for a break," said one Boise store manager, now weighing the next steps as new COVID-19 case numbers climb again in Idaho.

BOISE, Idaho — Update: The Record Exchange, included in this story, announced Wednesday morning that the business will once again require masks for everyone inside the store.

Some Idaho businesses are brainstorming how to respond to the CDC updated guidance regarding COVID-19.

The CDC recommends that everyone, vaccinated or not, wear a mask when in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission. Ada County is categorized as a county of substantial transmission.

That new guidance comes at a time when many employers have begun to feel like things were getting back to normal, and the controversy over mask-wearing was finally coming to an end.

“We are kind of ready for a break,” said Rose Maclay, manager of Dragonfly in Downtown Boise. “It wasn't really fun to come to work.”

In the past, many businesses owners relied on CDC for updated guidance. While some still plan to do so, not everyone is looking forward to the potential blowback from customers.

“I don't know what to do. I want to protect the community but, at the same time, I want to protect my mental stability with not having people yell at me or say that it's a hoax,” said Sierra Heavin Hunter, owner of Dragonfly.

Heavin Hunter said the boutique will require employees to mask up, and will post signage that for customers, masks are strongly recommended.

“I'm over it, but I want it to just be -- I want my kids to go to school. That's what it boils down to, so yeah, I guess we are going to put signage up again,” she said.

Heavin Hunter added that, recently, the store has been receiving criticism for not requiring masks as the delta variant spreads in the Gem State.

The Record Exchange, also in Downtown Boise, announced Wednesday that the store will require everyone who goes inside to mask up.

John O’Neil, a general manager at the store, said they have always followed CDC guidance.

“We took steps as warranted as new information came out and studied the science, all of the things. None of the decisions we made were made lightly, and this is no different,” O’Neil said.

Effective today, The Record Exchange is once again requiring masks for everyone inside the store. This includes fully...

Posted by The Record Exchange on Wednesday, July 28, 2021

O'Neil said The Record Exchange was one of the last businesses to allow customers to go unmasked following the City of Boise’s announcement in May.

“Without the people coming in the front door, we don't have anything here,” he said. “We don't want our customers dying, and that's The Record Exchange's position in a nutshell.”

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare responded to the CDC's updated guidance in a statement sent to KTVB.

“We are concerned, as CDC is, about the growing numbers of cases and hospitalizations in the country and the state as the pandemic continues to evolve. We know the delta variant is in Idaho, and spreading. Masks have been shown to reduce spread of COVID-19, and masks remain an important tool in combating spread of the virus. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated and to wear masks wherever appropriate, but we also recognize that both of those are individual choices. We hope Idahoans will choose to protect themselves and those around them by getting vaccinated and following the recommended guidance. Only if more people get vaccinated will we be able to stay ahead of changes in the virus.”

-Idaho Department of Health and Welfare

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