Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Since the start of the pandemic and the territory’s first confirmed positive border case of COVID-19 around September of last year, wearing a face mask inside buildings that are open to the public has become an issue for many American Samoa storeowners.

And now that there is community spread of COVID-19 the issue is more critical.

Several storeowners around the island who spoke to Samoa News regarding the masking issue are upset that some local residents are refusing to comply with the government’s face mark requirements, while other storeowners report that their customers are cooperating and always wear face masks every time they enter the store.

Samoa News witnessed a few people in some public areas and a few drivers and passengers on buses who aren’t wearing a face mask.

A woman at a bus stop said, “I have a health problem and that’s why I don’t wear a mask.”

Some storeowners are calling for the government to enforce the requirement that customers wear masks or face coverings to protect them and other shoppers from spreading the virus. The virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity, even if people do not display symptoms, according to one Health Dept. official.

(Samoa News should also point out that the ‘omicron’ strain of the COVID-19 virus is considered highly contagious, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.)

A shopper from Utulei said he’s been to stores in the Nu’uuli area that require masks, but some customers are ignoring the requirement.

A female cashier at a grocery store in Fagatogo said a Samoan male entered her store early Monday morning without wearing a mask and she told him to go back out, get a mask, before entering the store.

“He didn’t stop,” the cashier said. “He walked inside and straight to the refrigerator — grabbed two sodas like he doesn’t care.”

Before the man left the store, the cashier said, “He turned around and said to me, you’re not the mask police.”

The owner of the J & K Mart in Tafuna told Samoa News that wearing a mask inside her store is one of the problems she’s facing almost everyday because some customers refuse to comply.

“... but I don’t want to chase them away because they are my valued customers and I want to be nice to them so that they keep coming to my store,” she said.

She recalled a woman in her mid 30s who came to her store last Saturday for shopping without a mask and she was stopped at the front door by one of her employees.

“My employee approached her in a polite manner and offered her a mask but she refused and told my employee that she has a health problem and wearing a mask will affect her breathing,” the store owner said.

So, she allowed her inside to do her shopping and at the same time she respectfully requested all shoppers who were inside the store at that time — all wearing their masks — to please move to the back side of the store for their safety and allow this customer to do her shopping first.

“The safety of everyone coming into my store is my first priority but at the same time, I’m a businesswoman and I want people to come and shop at my store. So, I can’t chase them away,” she concluded.

(Samoa News should point out that customers who are in compliance — wearing a face mask — can be ‘chased away’ too, by refusing to shop with people who don’t wear masks.)

A female cashier at the Aeto Mart in Pago Pago said most of the people who refuse to wear a mask are their regular customers.

“Every time they come to the store they never wear masks so I gave them free masks, but when they come back in the afternoon, they asked for another mask. This is crazy,” the cashier said.

She stressed that she has now assigned her husband to stand at the door and every time a customer comes in, he hands over a free mask.

“I don’t want to lose a customer for not wearing a mask,” she said.

“One mask is cheaper that losing one customer or more that will affect the business. So, I sacrifice myself [the cost of the mask], by offering free masks to everyone so they can come to shop at my store everyday,” she concluded.

A business owner in Nu’uuli explained to Samoa News that he has his own idea on how to deal with customers who refuse to wear a mask.

“For safety reasons, I have asked my employees to avoid escalated confrontations with non-compliant customers, and to instead help them complete their purchases as quickly as possible while providing information about other options we have available for their future needs.”

”We require customers to wear masks while inside our stores. We have signage posted, as well as announcements by our employees to remind customers about the importance of wearing a mask. We also have social distancing captains who remind customers that they must wear a mask or facial covering,” said a storeowner in Utulei.

The storeowner noted that “as an employer, grocery provider, and community partner, we have a responsibility to help keep our associates, customers, and communities safe. We respect and acknowledge that some customers, due to medical reasons, may not be able to wear a mask (small children are exempt).

“We encourage those customers to consider an alternative option like a face shield or facial covering. If they’re unable to wear a mask or an alternative design, we request that we work together for a safe American Samoa,” he said.

The owner of the Lin Store in Pago Pago stressed that stores want shoppers to wear masks. But some customers refuse and act like they don’t care.

He said some local grocery stores have strongly advised that shoppers wear face coverings in stores as they try to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

But retailers are struggling with how to convince their customers to follow the requirements. Stores are reluctant to antagonize shoppers by turning them away.

“I don’t want to put our valued customers in the position of being denied entry to our stores. We try our best to provide them with masks to make sure they have the chance to shop at our store,” the Lin Store owner said.

For the Pago Mart store, employees are telling customers who don't wear masks that they are required to "expedite their shopping trip, and then request that they wear a mask next time.”

“This is very simple, just wear a mask to protect you and another person — I don’t know why this requirement is becoming an issue to many customers who come to the store,” one worker said.

The owner of the Manu’a Store in Lepuapua has assigned a customer service employee outside with masks for shoppers who don’t have face masks and a sanitizer for customers’ hands before entry.

An employee of the Manu’a store told Samoa News that all customers that come to their store wear face masks.

“Everyone that comes to this store understands that safety is everyone’s priority and I thank them for their understanding and the fact that they’re in compliance with the masks requirements,” said the employee.

Several smaller grocers have started requiring that all their customers wear masks inside stores too.

A senior manager at a local restaurant explained that It can be a bit more difficult to enforce this requirement in parts of the territory and the company wants to "avoid situations that may create a confrontation" with workers.

Some grocery workers believe that their companies' failure to make shoppers wear a mask puts them at risk.

"They allow the customers to freely walk around the store without masks," said Donna Fetaia’i, a cashier at a local store in the Nu’uuli area.

Mrs. Fetaia’i said she asked a customer to wear a mask, but was reprimanded by her store leader. "I was told that it was none of my business and that I was not the mask police."

“This is not safe for us employees because the virus is now spreading throughout the whole community and allowing a customer without a mask inside the store places all our lives at risk and this is not right,” she complained.

A representative from a popular restaurant on island explained their mask policy. She said they require customers to cover their faces and state the policy on signs posted on the front door.

"If a customer attempts to enter our store without a face covering, they are directed back to their vehicle to retrieve their face covering or something suitable to cover their mouth and nose," the representative said. "A store leader may also provide a face mask for the customer to use, where available, for free."

It is becoming a common practice for some people just to hang the mask on the lower part of the face while walking around in public areas instead of properly placing it in the right position.

A local health official explained that a mask must cover the nose, mouth and chin. It’s not just the mouth and chin.

Last year, Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga appealed to the public to wear masks and observe social distancing in public, and made it mandatory in government offices and agencies.

Those who are exempt include children under 2 years of age; a person who cannot wear a mask or cannot safely wear a mask because of a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act; and a person who is the sole occupant of a vehicle or office.

An employee of the Manu’a Store in Lepuapua (left) sanitizes the hands of a customer before entering the store yesterday morning. The employee also offered face masks to customers who turned up at the store without masks.

Stores are beginning to offer ‘free’ masks as a way to keep their customers shopping, while protecting each other from the virus. However, out of fear of losing their customers, other store owners are refusing to act like “mask police” — and allowing their customers to shop without masks with customers who do wear masks. [photo by AF]