Joel Libava
Wearing a mask in public protects others. That’s why all retail stores, restaurants, auto repair facilities and the like need to enforce a No Mask, No Service policy. And this can’t be “optional.” Would you like to see why?
That’s frightening.
Do you know what would be more frightening?
The franchise industry not leading in a #NoMaskNoService effort.
Why does this matter?
Because there are approximately 760,000 franchise businesses in the United States, employing 8 million people. Unless there’s a #NoMaskNoService policy in place, Covid-19 will spread like crazy.
That said, not all franchises have physical locations. But a lot of them do.
Science Can’t Be Ignored
Hopefully you’re not someone who believes stuff like this. If you are, you need to ask yourself why.
I Can’t Emphasize This Enough
Even if you’re not sick, you can spread the Coronavirus.
In other words, you may not have any symptoms.
According to Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 25% of those who become infected with the Coronavirus may not show symptoms.
But you can spread this virus to others. These include people who are undergoing chemotherapy, have lung problems, or have any one of a number of things that can lower resistance to viruses.
Think about how you would feel if you unknowingly contaminated a surface, at say, a hair salon that 3 or 4 others then touched? Now they have the virus on them. Then they stop at a couple of places on their way home, including a fast food restaurant, because Grandpa (who has lung problems) wanted an order of large fries. Go ahead and finish the story.
I Don’t Own A Franchise Business
I know…I know. It’s easy for me to say “No Mask, No Service” from high atop my throne.
While it’s true I don’t own a food franchise, retail franchise-or any other type of franchise people need to enter to do business, I do know how to operate them.
Be that as it may, if I was the franchisor in the type of businesses I’ve described, the types of businesses that need to require employees and customers to wear masks, I would base my (mask) decision on facts.
Even if a group of people didn’t believe masks help stop the spread of Covid-19, or, in extreme cases, felt that their “rights” were being violated.
Specifically, I’d require my franchisees to post a sign outside or on the doors that said the following:
No Mask, No Service
Due to the Coronavirus, we require anyone entering our business to wear a mask. Let’s stop the spread of this virus, together. Thank you!
Free Masks Available
How hard is that?
No Mask, No Service: The Consequences of Believing In Science
Who would have thought that facts and science would be questioned by so many in a time like this? But there’s more than just “questioning” going on.
From The Global Times:
“At one shop in Illinois, a customer who didn’t want to wear a mask threatened to shoot a staff member who requested him to abide by their safety policy and put one on. At another shop, another angry unmasked customer wielded a hunting knife. And at various protests around the country, those opposed to the lockdowns have carried rifles and handguns, but didn’t don masks. In Oklahoma city, a requirement for wearing masks in public survived only for a few hours before the mandatory measure was changed into a recommendation amid surging public resistance.”
Situations like the ones described above could easily be avoided if the person who was elected to lead this country told his followers to wear masks in places where they could potentially spread the disease. Because science. Because follow the leader.
Until that happens, (and even if it doesn’t) we in the franchise community have a responsibility.
We need to convince franchisors that it’s in their best interest to direct their franchisees to observe and strictly enforce a #NoMaskNoService policy immediately.
Because if we don’t, we may end up facing an even longer pandemic economy. One that could last well into 2021.
Please share this post on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn-and include the hashtag #NoMaskNoService
Let’s save some lives.
