Fargo businesses implement a mask mandate as cases continue to rise

Drumconrath Brewing Company in downtown Fargo joins others in making masks mandatory

FARGO, N.D.- While most North Dakota businesses either require or recommend customers wear a mask, a few more are taking steps to encourage you to mask up.

Drumconrath Brewing Company in downtown Fargo is making it mandatory.

If you’re here for a beer. You must wear mask.

Owner Sam Corr says it’s all about doing your part in any way you can.

“Cases are spiking. I mean, it’s just what it is, and we all need to do our part to control the spread,” says   Drumconrath Brewing Company owner Sam Corr.

Corr says he would rather implement these rules now rather than to see the possible repercussions of not having taken action earlier.

‘We need customers to keep our doors open. So, if there’s not customers coming out, if they don’t feel safe or if we get physically shut down again, you know, we’re just going to see more businesses close,” he says.

The community response to the Facebook post was overwhelmingly positive.

Corr says it’s because most people are on the same page.

“We just need to..We just need to knuckle down and do it. And I think everyone’s in the same boat. For the most part everyone’s like hey we need to do this, let’s do this,” Corr adds.

Some community members agree.

“The mask is important. Cases are rising just because people aren’t wearing them in stores, especially when it’s more compact,” Foley says.

“I think if you do wear a mask it will help knock that down to a very low percentage,” Doyle says.

But this wasn’t Foley’s thought at the beginning.

“I was a little bit hesitant to be honest at first because I was like, oh I don’t want to deal with this change too,” she says.

It took seeing loved ones get COVID-19 for her to realize that wearing a mask was the only option.

“It was scary. Really scary considering that you know, I was around these people not wearing masks at the time because of my stance on it at the time,” Foley  says.

Doyle hopes this generates a domino effect were other business follow suit.

“Keep this up if everybody did the same thing, this thing would be gone way faster than it is,” he says.

Governor Burgum raised Cass County’s risk level from Moderate to High.

Beginning at five tomorrow night businesses will only be allowed a 25 percent occupancy with a capacity of 50 people.

That’s down from fifty percent occupancy capped at 100 people.