Area businesses, organizations adjust mask policies

May 21—Neutral Groundz owner Deb Morin met with her employees after the statewide mask mandate ended last week and asked if they'd be comfortable with masks not required in the store. As a result, the North Mankato coffee shop no longer requires fully vaccinated customers to wear masks.

But because some workers said they are nervous about the loosening of restrictions, safety precautions including spaced-out seating, plexiglass and extra cleaning are still in place.

Area businesses and organizations moved quickly to ease their own policies after Gov. Tim Walz lifted the mask mandate May 14. The move came a day after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidelines that said fully vaccinated people — those two weeks past their final vaccine dose — do not need to wear a mask or social distance.

Citywide mask mandates in Mankato, North Mankato and St. Peter ended as well, giving area businesses the responsibility, once again, to decide whether or not to continue requiring masks in their establishments.

Morin said people coming into the shop, 229 Belgrade Ave., will approach her to ask about the store's mask policy and many will openly share whether they've been vaccinated without being asked.

"People have been really honest," she said.

Most customers are continuing to wear masks despite being fully vaccinated, she said. "I think some people are feeling like this happened really fast. They are confused by it and aren't comfortable going out without a mask yet, and that's OK."

Morin said she is happy that life is returning to normal but hopes things aren't moving too quickly. She is nervous that COVID-19 cases could increase and businesses shut down again.

"That's always looming in the back of my mind," she said. "We are being pretty cautious here and are encouraging all employees to get vaccinated."

A growing number of retail stores, businesses and universities have dropped mask requirements, while others have kept their mask policies in place. Most chain-based retail stores and restaurants have ended mask mandates for fully vaccinated individuals and are recommending others get vaccinated.

Some business owners say they are excited about easing of restrictions, but others worry about the responsibility of continuing to enforce policies without government requirements backing them up.

After more than a year of only offering to-go service, the Coffee Hag in Old Town Mankato plans to open Monday at half-capacity. The coffee shop closed as soon as there was a confirmed COVID-19 case in Blue Earth County last year and has been only offering service through a walk-up window for most of the pandemic.

Owner Jenn Melby-Kelley plans to continue requiring customers and employees to wear masks when they aren't seated at a table, despite the easing of restrictions in the state. As a city council member, she pushed the city last year to enact the now expired Mankato ordinance requiring masks.

She decided to continue requiring masks in The Hag, even if people are fully vaccinated, because it helps protect non-vaccinated people.

"I wear a mask to protect others and I still want to do that."

She said it's a difficult situation because there previously had been state mandates and federal guidelines backing up mask enforcement policies.

"It's hard because I used to have the state behind me. Now it's on me," she said. "My goal is to keep everyone safe that comes into my space."

Masks be gone

Carolyn Erickson, chief human resources officer at Taylor Corporation, was busy May 14 figuring out the company's new COVID policies.

Erickson and Jennifer Heimer, communication manager at Taylor, were preparing videos and informational material for employees. After the CDC issued new guidelines, the company quickly adapted its policies to align with the updated recommendations.

Vaccinated employees at the North Mankato company need no longer wear masks, physically distance or fill out a daily symptom tracker, but they have to prove they've been vaccinated by uploading information to a company portal. Masks, distancing and daily symptom tracker requirements are still in place for employees who aren't vaccinated.

"We are really focused on the safety of our employees, and we are not giving that up because of these changes," Erickson said.

The company has been strongly encouraging workers to get vaccinated and has been bringing nurses to company facilities each week so vaccines are more accessible to employees.

The company's work-from-home mandate also was dropped this week. Employees who had been working remotely are starting to come back into the office; the company is working on a pilot program for a hybrid work model where employees can transition between working from home and remotely. The plan is to create a template for all offices to use.

Heimer said the rollback of pandemic restrictions and changing guidelines is happening much quicker than expected.

"We went into this pandemic really fast and we are coming out of it really fast," she said.

Many chain-based retail stores in the area, including Target, Hy-Vee, Aldi, Cub Foods and Walmart have dropped mask requirements for fully vaccinated customers.

"Given the CDC's updated guidance, Target no longer requires fully vaccinated guests and team members to wear face coverings in our stores, except where it's required by local ordinances. Face coverings continue to be strongly recommended for guests and team members who are not fully vaccinated, and we continue our increased safety and cleaning measures, including social distancing, throughout our stores," Target announced Monday.

Hy-Vee said it strongly recommends that customers who aren't fully vaccinated wear a mask. Employees who aren't fully vaccinated are still required to wear face coverings.

While some of these policies still mandate that non-vaccinated individuals wear a mask, customers aren't being asked or checked to see if they're vaccinated.

Higher education

Local universities also have removed mask mandates on campus for fully vaccinated individuals and are also using an honor system to enforce the policy.

A statement issued by Minnesota State University President Richard Davenport said that individuals who are not fully vaccinated are expected to wear a mask indoors and that all community members support anyone who chooses to continue wearing a mask. The university will release information about fall semester policies at a later date.

"The lifting of the face covering mandate brings us one step closer to returning to our pre-pandemic ways of living, working and learning," Davenport said in a statement.

Masks are still required in some areas of campus, including health clinics and dining facilities.

Gustavus Adolphus College ended its mask mandate and reopened to the public again this week after being closed to most visitors for more than a year.

The school also announced Tuesday that students returning to campus in the fall will be required to be vaccinated unless they have an exemption. Gustavus is one of the few colleges in the state that have announced the requirement.

"As a residential learning arts college, we really value learning and working in community," said Provost Brenda Kelly. "We feel that by requiring vaccines, that will help us get back to that."

Vaccination is not required of faculty and staff, but the college encourages it. About 83% of faculty are in some stage of being vaccinated, according to Kelly.