The requirement to wear face masks in public has caused quite a stir since Gov. Ralph Northam issued his executive order to that effect on May 26.

People are lining up on two sides of the issue—either accepting that there’s a need for people to protect each other from asymptomatic spread of coronavirus or refusing to either believe that such a need exists or that it can be dealt with by wearing a mask.

The Gazette-Journal visited a few random businesses in Gloucester and Mathews last week to find out how local businesses are dealing with the situation and found that, while the businesses’ employees are compliant themselves, they’re allowing their customers to make their own decisions.

Mark Letchworth, owner of Moughons Hardware on Main Street in Mathews, said that staff members are taking precautions themselves, both by wearing masks and by keeping surfaces clean and wiped down. In addition, his wife Jo-Ann has asthma, which places her in the at-risk population, so she hasn’t...