The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance Tuesday advising retail and restaurant workers not to argue with customers who refuse to wear masks to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. The public health agency advised businesses to enforce social distancing and other health measures with teams of multiple employees rather than asking individuals to face down noncompliant customers and to create panic buttons for emergencies. If the confrontation escalates, the guidance reads, “Don’t argue with a customer if they make threats or become violent.” Though public health experts overwhelmingly agree that wearing a face covering slows the spread of the new coronavirus, public confrontations over their usage have become an everyday feature in many American cities. Conspiracy theorists and many in government have taken up the anti-mask cause as an issue of cultural difference rather than a scientific matter.
