- Now this virus has gone too far!
- Why are food personnel not wearing a mask if the concern is so real?
So we were treated with another breathless coronavirus flash news bit from the QCTimes a few hours ago. This one about the community being “untreated” with the availability of over-the counter ice-cream treats at a local “landmark” enterprise. Permit us to riff off of it:
Whitey’s stores will be closing temporarily
All Whitey’s Ice Cream stores will close temporarily starting at 10 p.m. Friday, the company said in a Facebook post.
As of Friday, April 3 at 10:00 p.m. all Whitey’s stores will be closing temporarily. As much as we would love to stay open and continue serving the Quad Cities, we are closing out of an abundance of caution to ensure that our employees are staying healthy and safe at home during this time. This does not affect Whitey’s availability at grocery stores at this time.
The decision to close was not an easy one and we know the road ahead is uncertain, but we want to thank you all for your constant support over the years.
We will continue to provide updates on our social channels and website, so stay tuned! But in the meantime, we hope everyone stays safe and healthy and that we will be back to doing what we love, serving you ice cream, very soon!
Reading it we see that the management is concerned about the employees of the company. They mention “out of an abundance of caution”. Still their reaction seems strained, however understandable given the hysteria surrounding the outbreak.
One will better understand our critique if you have visited any of the still open eateries of any sort of late. Many have adapted to current heath reg’s by allowing walk-in and carry-out accommodated by “social distancing” interval markings on the floor and “sneeze guards” installed to protect personnel. None permit dining-in under current regulations. Many were already equipped with drive-up service.
Whiteys ice-cream parlors, if they ever did allow it, have mostly eschewed “dining in” although they do provide picnic tables or benches outside. Most people have always carried the delectables into their cars practicing sequestering.
The counters at the Whitey’s facilities already provided built-in distancing for much of the interaction with personnel and product. So for those reasons their closure seems a particularly strained reaction.
Would not a rigorous wipe-down patrol of public contact surfaces have sufficed? Maybe issuing a free cough mask to each entrant if they are that worried? Or is it, as for so many of these decisions, follow the money trail? Is the promise of federal grants contingent on lay-offs and closures? We do not know, and “Whiteys” is one of the good guys – very charitable and all, but the questions arise — how much or many of these decisions are health driven, how valid are the concerns, and how much are they a matter of government enticement versus market driven? We would love for a Whitey’s spokesman to respond and explain further.
Viewing the pictures attached to the QCT article we have a suggestion. Note 
the hairnets shown in the production of the Whitey’s ice-cream. We have noted that many of the preparation personnel in the outlets wear “ice-cream” hats. Regrettably those are not shown in the QCT pictures. No one wants a hair in their tutti frutti. But why would such a business (any restaurant) not adapt to the virus concerns by requiring a sneeze mask be worn by serving /preparation personnel in order to help stay open and accommodate concerns? Personnel would not look any more goofy and a mask is probably more important in the serving line anyway.
