DELLWOOD, Mo. — Jerry Love makes sure customers put their safety first when they enter his Save A Lot grocery store.
"They know my rules. My rule is that you have a mask when you enter the store," Love said.
He kept that rule in place even when the CDC loosened restrictions for vaccinated people. He's not surprised that St. Louis City and County put the mandate back in place.
"It's confusing when they inconsistently have the mandate, bring it back, let it go. I think they should just mandate it totally until the delta virus is in control or we have control of it," Love said.
County reports say the north St. Louis County area is a hotspot for COVID-19 cases as the delta variant continues to spread. Regulars of the Dellwood grocery store gave their input on the mandate.
"I hate that people are opposing it. I think that we should all be in support of it. In support of our Mayor in the City and then Sam Page, we need to support them," Wendy Lavender said.
"I think it's a good thing. I think we all need to wear the masks. Matter of fact I think it was too early to take them off in the first place," Cheryl McGosson said.
"Even if you're vaccinated. You still need to be safe," Daniel Banks said.
Love faced pushback from customers who didn't want to wear a mask, but he said safety is most important.
"Money doesn't equate to catching COVID, as far as I'm concerned. It's the help of the people around me and my family and my customer is what concerns me the most," Love said.
Love's store didn't have to shut down during the pandemic, even when he kept masking in place and customers shopped elsewhere. He encourages all business owners to enforce the rules.