To the editor:

An Open Letter to the Greater Keweenaw Business Community:

As we gently start to emerge from our pandemic isolation, the issue of “masking-up” appears to be a growing problem.  I’ve noticed there are some businesses in the Keweenaw who apparently feel that requiring their employees to wear masks in their indoor spaces is an undue burden on their rights as business owners and the rights of their employees.  In addition, some businesses appear reluctant to attempt to enforce masking-up on the part of their customers.

Thus far, our willingness to follow the instructions on social distancing and isolation have been remarkably successful in minimizing our virus cases.  If you will understand that wearing a mask indoors is a simple gesture of mutual respect for the welfare of each other, we will succeed in better preventing an explosion of Covid-19 cases locally.

The message you send when you don’t insist on masking-up is that you do not respect the well-being of we, your customers. If that is the fundamental message you wish your business to send to our community, so be it. 

Best of luck in your efforts to successfully recover from this disaster.