I wonder if many of these establishments just have signs up in case some unspecified ‘inspector from the Council’ comes round, or whether they genuinely believe in masks.
So I left a Google Maps review for one of the establishments on my holiday. Beach shop which had a bizarre three zone system for browsing and paying which even the staff didn't understand because they kept asking browsers to leave whilst there was another customer paying - caused lots of arguments. But they were absolutely insistent upon mask wearing. Here's how my conversation went:
"Oh, can you wear a mask please?" Both staff members completely unmasked!
"No I'd rather not thanks"
"But we insist that you do, it's our policy"
"What's the point, I'm the only customer in the shop and both of you are bare-faced?"
"It's out policy and if you argue we won't serve you?"
"I don't have one"
"You can buy one for 50p" pointing to a selection of surgical type masks dangling in the breeze on a peg fixed to the door, so hygienic!
"I'm exempt"
"Oh"
Was then served without further fuss. Other customers were having similar issues.
The owner responded to my review saying that her staff take a lateral flow test before each shift (not at all apparent to customers) "so they don't have to spend all day in stuffy mask". She didn't seem to understand that the unmasked staff insisting on customers masking was causing a lot of conflict and must have been very wearing for her employees.
She informs me that Cornwall is "an area of additional COVID support and although not mandatory masks are strongly advised, so I've decided to make them mandatory in my shop".
Later in the day I went back in, no discussion about masks as they remembered me, but they tried to kick out a guy who came in behind me. He quite aggressively told them he was standing in the zone that the sign said he could. As I was leaving he had a pop at me for not wearing a mask, so I responded that it was
a). Pointless for several reasons, not least of which the staff weren't masked
b). None of his business
He actually started squaring up to me before he either noticed I was considerably bigger and fitter than him, or though better of starting a punch-up in front of a beach full of kids.
Whole thing is becoming so divisive and a lot of small business owners in Cornwall seem to be neurotic about them. There was a (dreadful) cafe we went to in Tintagel that was still insisiting on the nonsesnsical putting a mask on to walk to the table. Not a single member of staff was wearing a mask correctly, either not at all, on their chin or nose poking out. I only put one on to keep the peace with the mother in law who seems to think all of this COVID theatre is "common sense".
A bookshop near me has copious mask signage all over the front, including the message “most of our staff have only had one vaccine dose so you should wear a mask to protect them”.
To crown it off, not one of the staff were wearing masks themselves.
I chose to ignore the signage, as about half the other customers were doing, nothing said.
That's what I do now. The only place I was challenged was the beach cafe. I'm not sure what would have happened in the Tintagel cafe. I suspect nothing given the staff clearly couldn't be bothered with them (nor could they be bothered to wipe down the tables but that's another story).