Education. Education. Education. That’s the message that has been emphasized since Sedona Mayor Sandy Moriarty signed an order requiring the wearing of masks in public.
Effective Thursday, June 25, every person within the jurisdiction of the city of Sedona who is 5 years of age or older is required to cover his or her nose and mouth with a face covering when in a public place where continuous physical distancing is difficult or impossible. Businesses whose employees interact with the public must require employees to wear face coverings.
Since then, many businesses around Sedona have chosen to post signs reminding patrons that masks are required for entry. So far the response has been mixed.
“The mass majority of visitors are wearing masks now,” Wendy Lippman, resident partner and general manager of Tlaquepaque, said. “We have the Safe, Clean, Ready A-frames around the property to notify patrons. However, most stores have signs posted that masks are required. Thankfully everyone I encounter is being respectful.”
Sedona Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jennifer Wesselhoff said that anecdotally it appears that many visitors are following the mandate to wear masks when social distancing isn’t possible.
“Some businesses who have signs posted, ‘Face Coverings Required Beyond this Point’ have said that the amount of compliance has been significant,” she said. “There are still people who feel like their civil liberties are being compromised, but overall it appears there has been a significant improvement in the number of people wearing face masks.”
Sgt. Michael Dominguez, of the Sedona Police Department, said they’ve received several calls regarding people not wearing masks. No citations have been issued because for now, eduction on the matter is being stressed.
“A lot of people are visiting from different cities, states and countries where their protocols may be different than ours,” Dominguez said. “The vast majority of people we’re coming in contact with do comply [after contacted] or they have simply chosen to leave [the business]. Right now we’re making it all about education.”
Dominguez said that while they are emphasizing education, if an individual continues to defy the order, a citation will be issued.
On Sunday, June 28, police responded to five calls regarding masks. According to a police report, two were confrontational calls between the business owners and the customers due to them asking patrons to wear masks. In those cases, the customers were trespassed.
Two of the calls on June 28 were patrons complaining that employees of two different businesses were not wearing masks.
