COVID-19 in Tennessee (Knoxville, Johnson City, Dandridge: college, Whole Foods, Walmart)

[DaveinMtAiry]

Originally Posted by jchometeam

The answer to your question about smoking and seat belts were yes- absolutely. The pushback on smoking laws was substantial. As far as seat belts, compliance in Tennessee, 16 years after TN changed the law to allow a law enforcement officer to pull someone over based solely on a seat belt violation, is only 90%.

I study, teach, and have published books related to this type of stuff for a living. Formal enforcement is only so effective when the public doesn't support it unless you get really draconian in your enforcement efforts and thus intentionally take law enforcement efforts away from other areas. There are various unintentional consequences to going that route.

Although we don't have any studies to prove it since this is a new phenomenon, I would suggest that the best way to get as close to full compliance as possible when political leaders are sending mixed messages is to convince the remaining retailers and restaurants to require masks in order to enter their stores.

I agree with all of this. We had strong pushback when they banned smoking in restaurants too but not at this level and much came from bar owners concerned about lost revenue as the smoke bone is connected to the drink bone. But everyone fell in line, bars and restaurants were finded for non-compliance and it's been accepted by everyone.You have a much bigger challenge with so many not believing in masks including store and restaurant owners.

I agree the politicians are in a tough spot in TN with the majority against masks. That is why I feel so badly for those there who are concerned.

[DubbleT]

Originally Posted by jchometeam

Serious Conversation- just an observation: The mask mandates do increase the number of people who wear masks. Just like the stay at home order did decrease the number of people travelling around. In both cases, it's an enforcement nightmare and I personally would prefer these types of informal types of social control as opposed to formal means such as citations, fines, arrests, etc. With the symbolic mask mandates and corporations who are making mask wearing mandatory in their stores, the end result largely is the same as those with punitive methods. As you mentioned, the area in which we live has less masks than other parts of the country, but that is more reflective of the public attitude than whether the enforcement of mask mandates is formal or not.

I definitely see a huge uptick in the number of people wearing mask at my retail store, people see the signs up and turn around to grab the mask from their car, or they 'cave' and buy them on the spot. And while I agree that most people in this area against masks, I'm hearing comments from customers that indicate it might not be as quite as prevalent as the VOCAL majority would have everyone believe. A LOT of those customers are commenting that they're glad to see businesses requiring mask, glad to see more people wearing them. I don't know if people have become more concerned and are changing their attitudes as the virus hits closer to home for them, or if it's simply that people who were afraid to speak up before feel more comfortable doing so in light of the new requirements. It certainly feels like change is slowly happening though.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

I agree with all of this. We had strong pushback when they banned smoking in restaurants too but not at this level and much came from bar owners concerned about lost revenue as the smoke bone is connected to the drink bone. But everyone fell in line, bars and restaurants were finded for non-compliance and it's been accepted by everyone.You have a much bigger challenge with so many not believing in masks including store and restaurant owners.

I agree the politicians are in a tough spot in TN with the majority against masks. That is why I feel so badly for those there who are concerned.

Once the pandemic is over and people are more free to move again, I think we're going to even see more sorting of people around political lines. Masks are one of the battles being fought.

I've been kicking around the idea of moving for some time. "Virus response" just gets added to the list.

[DaveinMtAiry]

Originally Posted by DubbleT

I definitely see a huge uptick in the number of people wearing mask at my retail store, people see the signs up and turn around to grab the mask from their car, or they 'cave' and buy them on the spot. And while I agree that most people in this area against masks, I'm hearing comments from customers that indicate it might not be as quite as prevalent as the VOCAL majority would have everyone believe. A LOT of those customers are commenting that they're glad to see businesses requiring mask, glad to see more people wearing them. I don't know if people have become more concerned and are changing their attitudes as the virus hits closer to home for them, or if it's simply that people who were afraid to speak up before feel more comfortable doing so in light of the new requirements. It certainly feels like change is slowly happening though.

Well that certainly is good news, it's action more than words that matter and if more people are wearing them then the attitude is changing. As I suspected once it hits home and is not on TV in another part of the country things change for people. I totally understood the push back on closings when you had very few cases in Tennessee.

But sadly "my rights are more important than public safety", people who believe they know more than the health experts or believe that the entire world heath community is involved in some wild conspiracy will still show strong representation.

[DaveinMtAiry]

Just checking back to see if anything is changing. I got into a debate on another board from a poster in Chattanooga who claims I'm not being accurate when I told them many in Tennessee still don't believe in masks and refuse to wear them. He said in his area as well as Nashville most everyone is wearing them now.

[DubbleT]

What I'm seeing at my retail job is roughly an 80% compliance, this is after we posted a sign earlier in the week that reminds people masks are now required, not just suggested. It seems a little better at the grocery stores I've been too. Went with a friend to the local flea market over the weekend, at a guess I'd say only slightly over half the folks there were masked up, probably because it's outdoors, even though social distancing certainly wasn't possible.

[JRR]

Still a lot of resistance to masks here in the Cookeville area. Reasons run the gamut from the virus is just like a cold, to the mask increases your susceptibility to catching the virus, to it causes too much anxiety, to God will protect me. Local leaders have an eye on the elections coming up so no mandate to wear masks even though our number of infections keep increasing.

Some local stores are stepping up where the politicians won't and are requiring masks to come in. Grocery stores Publix, Kroger and Aldi require them but Food Lion is just recommending them. My wife drove through the Food Lion parking lot and there was a women with four kids heading in; no masks of course.

Went to my doctor for a regular checkup. She has had several perfectly healthy patients call her and push her real hard for a medical exemption for wearing a required mask at their employment. They picked to wrong doctor for that as she is a strong advocate for wearing a mask.

[DaveinMtAiry]

Thanks for the update guys. A mix of good news and bad, LOL at the story about the doctor.

[N.Cal]

Urban core Nashville is wearing them - except for the tourists on Broadway (from the photos I see daily). Long lines to get tested too.

[JRR]

So Governor Lee is making the bet (in the form of a multi-million $ ad campaign) that Tennesseans will do the right thing. take personal responsibility and wear masks (no mandate required). Even though there has been no indication in many areas of that happening.

I hope that I am wrong, but my belief, based on prior behavior by the general populace, is that this will be basically flushing $ down the toilet.