FRANKLIN, Indiana — Getting some people to wear a mask in Johnson County can be a full time job. Literally. Just ask Miriam Rooks. Rooks is a clerk at the Johnson County Health Department, and she has been fielding complaint after complaint about people not wearing face coverings.
“It's between 10 and 30 calls a day, sometimes more. Same exact complaint,” she told 13News after handling a complaint involving a customer not wearing a mask at the Meijer grocery store in Franklin. “The mask calls have been really heavy since the governor’s mandate.”
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed an executive order about two weeks ago, requiring that masks be worn inside all Indiana businesses and outdoors when social distancing guidelines cannot be followed. Since the order took effect, Johnson County residents have been flooding the health department with reports of their neighbors not following the new rules.
Johnson County Health Department director Betsy Swearingen said her department has received complaints about people not wearing masks inside grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and just about every type of business in the county.
“People are unhappy. They’re out and about and wearing their masks, and want to know why other residents of Johnson County aren’t,” Swearingen said. “It’s a wonderful mandate. We all should be wearing them, and it’s a small part to play to making the pandemic smaller. We’re not asking a lot.”
But local health departments are in a tough spot. The governor originally said failing to follow his executive order requiring face coverings would be a misdemeanor crime. After backlash from the state attorney general and several sheriffs, Holcomb backed off on that. His executive order does not make any mention of a criminal offense for those failing to follow the new rules.
The Johnson County Sheriff's Department has already said it would not enforce the mask mandate, so making sure residents wear a mask while shopping, dining out and attending crowded public gatherings is up to health department staff, who are fielding dozens and dozens of complaints, and can't really do much about it.
“We wish we could take more strict action, but we do not have a county ordinance that allows us to do so, so we have to educate the public as to the reasons why you should wear a mask,” Swearingen said.
Reluctantly wearing a mask for the first time
As she talked with 13News outside the front door of the health department, she stopped to deal with a visitor who did not want to wear a mask as she entered the building.
“Excuse me,” Swearingen said as she quickly stepped away from the interview. “Do you have a mask? If not, I can get one for you.”
The visitor, Karen Linderman, accepted Swearingen’s offer and agreed to wear a mask while inside the health department. When she left the building a few minutes later, she expressed frustration about a statewide mandate requiring face coverings.
“These are not going to protect you. Not going to protect you. You can spit through it,” she told 13News, holding up the face mask the health department had provided. “This is all hype. It's all hype. That's all it is.”
Linderman said she does not wear face coverings, adding that Monday afternoon’s visit to the health department marked the first time she had worn a mask during the pandemic.
“I only did it here because I had to,” she said. “If someone has an issue, I’ll try to discuss it with them tactfully … but why is everyone getting so crazy? I don’t get it.”
Linderman said she has health issues that make wearing a mask difficult. And she just doesn't like them. She believes it is too late for a mask mandate to be effective, and she places her faith in God to protect from her from coronavirus.
“I don’t want to make people uneasy, but if you get [COVID-19], you get it for a reason. It’s part of God’s plan” she told 13News. “You need to do what's right for you. I need to do what's right for me. This is my life.”
Swearingen appreciated Linderman’s willingness to wear a mask for the four minutes she spent inside the health department, and she said she understands the reluctance that some people feel regarding masks.
“They are not comfortable. They are not what we’re used to. I’m sure they feel their civil liberties are being stomped on. That is the sentiment of a large proportion of Johnson County,” the health department director said. “So we have to use a lot of diplomacy. It’s a lot of reasoning. If you want to participate out in public and be in facilities in Johnson County, you have to wear a mask. It’s very simple. We’re not asking you to do a lot.”
Local, state and federal health departments all encourage residents to wear face coverings to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Despite widespread posts on social media that claim masks are not effective (including some posts that point to false information and misleading scientific studies), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization say masks have a proven track record of slowing the spread of disease.
Hundreds of complaints
13News checked with other county health departments to see if they are also receiving many complaints related to mask rules. Marion County health officials have received approximately 400 complaints about businesses and individuals not following the mask mandate, and Madison County’s health officer reports an increase in complaints there, as well. Hamilton County said it received few complaints.
“There’s always going to be some people who don’t want to follow the governor’s order, but we’ve only been getting one or two calls a day. That’s about it,” said Jim Ginder, the Hamilton County Health Department’s health education specialist.
Swearingen said mask-related complaints in Johnson County are assigned for investigation so her staff can educate business owners, and she encourages residents to report cases of non-compliance by calling 317-346-4365.
“It seems everybody wants to tattle on their neighbor, and that’s OK. If you see something, say something,” she said. “We use the phone calls as a chance to get out and educate the facilities where it’s happening. We talk to the owners and encourage them what to say and how to talk to their patrons who are not following the order. We hear from the public every day, and I think that’s a good thing.”