Until now, I have been shopping in grocery stores, wearing a double cloth mask. Recently, a checkout clerk at a Hannaford store was wearing a loose-fitting cloth mask, which slipped down over his nose five times while he was attending to my groceries.

I noticed that most other clerks in the store also were wearing cloth masks, all different. It’s unlikely these casual masks meet standards that are necessary for the health of these employees and their customers.

New, fast-spreading variants of the COVID-19 virus are arriving in the U.S. My son bought me an N95 mask, and I am so grateful to have it. But I am most concerned about people who work long hours indoors. The owners of stores and other indoor work spaces should provide adequate masks for all employees.

Victoria Adams
Kennebunk