On Tuesday, the statewide mask mandate lifted in Indiana, despite COVID-19 cases trending upward.
West Lafayette and Purdue University have chosen to keep a mask mandate in place. Lafayette, however, decided to lift the mandate along with the state.
Some businesses are questioning that decision.
In an interview with WBAA on Thursday, Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski claimed a majority of residents were in favor of lifting the mask mandate.
But Sarah Stantz, the owner of Java Roaster in downtown Lafayette, said she doesn’t understand why the mask mandate was lifted everywhere but in city hall.
“If they are willing to do that for their places of work, then I don’t understand why they aren’t willing to do that for all of us,” she said.
Stantz said she’s already seen an uptick of maskless people in her store. But instead of turning them away, she instead asks them to sit down so as not to put other customers at risk.
“We shouldn’t have to choose between safety and sales,” she said.
Mayor Roswarski said he is following the Governor’s lead in lifting the mask mandate but continuing to require it in state buildings.
He said residents should be respectful of businesses that want to keep mask-wearing inside their establishments.
“If somebody won’t leave and they get disorderly, they [the businesses] are certainly welcome to call the police department,” he said.
Kristen Rupp is the co-owner of Bernadette’s Babeshop, which has continued requiring masks in the store. She said people have been respectful about masking.
“We’ve been pleasantly surprised that people have been understanding about wearing masks,” she said. “We’ve only had a couple of people ask and they’ve been totally ok with it and understanding. We hope it continues to go like this.”