1 / 2

Matthew Jelalian poses for a portrait in the Daily Herald studio on Friday, March 6, 2015. SAMMY JO HESTER, Daily Herald

Sammy Jo Hester/

2 / 2

Rachel Moises, of Orem, holds her 5-month-old daughter, Laura, as she and her son, Gabriel, 9, push carts of groceries at Costco in Orem on Thursday, March 12, 2020. 

Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

❮ ❯

The state of Utah has decided to downgrade the state’s COVID-19 risk from red to orange.

Which, if you’re me, meant nothing when they announced it.

Saratoga Springs and other city organizations have attempted to create infographics to better explain the nuances of the change, but again, if you’re like me, the graphics meant nothing.

The number of people who are allowed to gather will increase from 10 to 20, but you’re still supposed to observe social distancing practices. Small family get-togethers will be allowed as long as everyone in attendance has practiced social distancing best practices for the past two weeks, but you’re still supposed to keep face-to-face interactions between yourself and the people you live with.

And that’s just some of the advice as it applies to families.

The last conservative remnants of my conservative soul can’t help but feel angry at the uselessness of the advice and can only hope that further instruction will clarify what we can and can’t do.

Because I’ll happily stay home as much as I can to help keep the virus at bay, but I also want to toss my kids out of a moving vehicle onto their grandma’s front doorstep.

But if she has to stay 6 feet away from them and they all have to wear masks, then that plan is as useless as the information we currently have about what we can and can’t do now that we’re “orange.”

Luckily, some other organizations have decided to be more clear regarding their health policies.

For example, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that it is canceling trek and pageant events this summer. And the organizers of the Days of ’47 parade announced they were canceling the parade.

Both of these organizations relayed their COVID-related messages clearly and concisely.

But there’s one other company that I wanted to highlight for its policy announcement.

Costco.

Costco made an announcement regarding shopping and facemasks on its website.

“To protect our members and employees, effective May 4, all Costco members and guests must wear a face covering that covers their mouth and nose at all times while at Costco,” wrote Costco on its website. “This requirement does not apply to children under the age of 2 or to individuals who are unable to wear a face covering due to a medical condition.”

The announcement went on to say that covering your face is not the only thing that customers will be expected to do either.

“The use of a face covering should not be seen as a substitute for social distancing,” wrote Costco. “Please continue to observe rules regarding appropriate distancing while on Costco premises. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.”

This has caused no small amount of anger on the internet, whether it’s in the comment section of a local news article on the subject or a given community Facebook group post.

There are a lot of people who are angry that Costco is trying to keep people healthy.

In fact, many Utahns are expressing their anger with the policy announcement, proclaiming that they’ll go shopping without a mask if they want to and nobody is going to stop them.

Others say they plan on stocking up before the May 4th deadline so they can protest the store when the policy is put in place, and others claim they’re going to get rid of their memberships.

Some people even believe that Costco should give out free masks so patrons can shop. I even saw a couple of comments implying they should be forced to do so.

Now I don’t feel like I should have to point out the irony behind forcing a company to give you free masks so you won’t be forced to follow their rules when you choose to shop there. I also shouldn’t have to address the fact that a boycott doesn’t really work if you give the company a bunch of money now so you don’t have to come back during the boycott. And I especially shouldn’t have to mention that telling a company what it can and can’t do inside its own stores infringes more on its rights as a company and less on your rights to not catch the ‘rona.

But it’s 2020, and I can no longer assume these things are obvious to anyone.

Freedom and liberty don’t just apply to your desire for comfort. They don’t just apply to my desire not to see more friends in the hospital.

These principles apply to everyone.

Costco, and any other store my fellow Utahns might patronize, is free to make that policy decision, especially during a pandemic. And you and I are equally free to choose to follow those policies or not.

And sure, go ahead and protest the policy, but don’t act like Costco isn’t within its rights to make its own policies.

Freedom is not a dog whistle which lets you be the dictator in your own life story. It’s a thing that stands to benefit or hurt us all depending on how we use it.

In the end none of this matters. Everyone who’s saying they’re going to boycott Costco or cancel their memberships is full of it. You’ll go anyway because you’re outraged over a minor inconvenience.

You’re not about to inconvenience yourself even further.