KAPA‘A — Roberta Apaisa wears a blue paper mask as she checks out customers at the Wailua Country Store. She stands behind a plexiglass shield with a small opening for customers to slide cash or cards through to make their purchases.
A sign on the door of this store on Kuamoo Road tells customers that all who enter must wear a mask. And in less than a day, she said, many of her customers are already complying to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
“We care about our customers,” Apaisa said as she teared up. She apologized for becoming emotional when asked about the masks, but these times are tough and she cares deeply. “This is to protect them.”
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where social-distancing measures may be difficult, like in grocery stores. Cloth face masks and covers can slow the spread of COVID-19, the CDC advised.
“Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure,” the CDC said on its website.
The county is following suit with these recommendations. Mayor Derek Kawakami has “strongly recommended” businesses and services still in operation to require employees to wear cloth masks and suggested businesses require customers over the age of 10 to wear cloth masks upon entry.
“I am strongly urging all individuals over the age of 10 to wear a cloth mask or face-covering anytime you are outside in the public,” Kawakami said on April 3. “This is not a mandate.”
The CDC also reminds people than surgical masks and N-95 respirators should be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders.
At the Wailua Country Store, Apaisa sells donated handmade masks and also purchases them from local makers.
Reusable masks sit on the front counter, $10 per mask next to a small supply of hand cleaning spray and hand sanitizer.
The store currently offers paper masks for those who enter allows customers to wrap their faces in their shirt, but asks that next time they have their own.
Last week, the store installed the plexiglass shield to protect both employees and those who enter the store.
The masks are difficult to breathe in at times and can be uncomfortable, she said, but knowing how easily COVID-19 can spread, it’s worth it.
“We figured it was time to make it a policy,” she said.
