A trade association representing major U.S. retailers on Tuesday urged state governors to issue orders requiring that people wear masks when shopping, arguing it would provide clarity for consumes and protect workers.
In a letter to the National Governors Association, the Retail Industry Leaders Association urged governors to issue “concise, statewide orders” on masks.
“We urge every governor to require consumers who are not encumbered by a medical condition to wear masks when shopping in public spaces,” the letter said.
The request comes amid near-daily viral videos showing confrontations between people demanding that shoppers wear masks, and those who refuse to do so.
Workers have often born the brunt of attacks from people angered by state requirements that people wear masks, and sometimes it has led to physical violence.
“Despite compliance from the majority of Americans, retailers are alarmed with instances of hostility and violence front-line employees are experiencing by a vocal minority of customers who are under the misguided impression that wearing a mask is a violation of their civil liberties,” the RILA wrote.
On Sunday, a Nevada man was arrested for trespassing in a casino after refusing to leave or put on a mask. Other videos of customers destroying store displays in response to mask policies have also gone viral in recent days.
Public health experts have urged people to wear masks in public, saying that face coverings greatly lower the spread of the COVID-19 disease.
More than 130,000 U.S. deaths have now been recorded from the novel coronavirus, according to data tabulated by John Hopkins University.