@altschmerz Sadly to the rest of the world the US does appear to be a largely violent, angry and combative society, all to ready to use the last resort as a first response.
As for the mask thing, here we have a track and trace QR code at the entrance to every place of business, which has to be scanned as you enter. Along with a warning that should you choose not to wear a mask or face covering inside and are caught on CCTV doing so, you thereby abnegate the business from all liability. You are further informed you will be contacted by the authorities or are likely to be a sent a statutory fine.
When faced with this, but no confrontation with a person most either wear a face covering, go away or get fined.
Stores that insist on face covering, usually offer people the option of using a scarf rather than a mask, and this suffices to let them think they have won, and proceed with a smug sense of self-righteousness.

I don't think that applies equally here in the US, compared to the UK. The customer here is often a psycho or a bully, and they do not deserve to be coddled. They deserve clear rules that are always enforced, and also the clear message that if they don't like it, go patronize another business. And if enough businesses in a given industry adopt this, then the government does not have to get involved and regulate behavior, as eventually the assholes realize they have to conform to reasonable rules that an industry has adopted, or be left out of mainstream business and services. And it works. Here in my state, I still remember how much whining and outrage happened when smoking was finally banned from almost all public places as well as most businesses that served the public. In some ways it was similar to the protests over mask orders, but it eventually was accepted because almost all the business owners, even tho they were Repubs by and large, realized this was not going to be defeated or dropped by government, and that there was no competitive disadvantage to complying, since all the businesses were in the same boat, so they enforced the law and very soon the whining smokers gave up fighting it. And finally, non-smokers like me, who were by far the majority of the public and the voters, finally were able to visit bars and restaurants without having to risk second hand smoke and the diseases that come with it. Sounds to me a lot like the Covid situation.

This new law, called the Clean Air Act of 2008, was passed back when my state was still a blue state, but privately, most of the Repub legislators in the state supported it, and only put up token opposition to it, since they knew most of even their base supported it. But it was also long before Trump and all the current bullshit on the right about my liberties, my freedoms, etc.

@TomMcGiverin Fuck man, your clean air act was passed in 2008?
Ours passed in 1952 and made more stringent in 1968 and then again 1993 finally smoking in public places was banned in 2007 but that was not even considered a clean air act, simply an amendment to the public health act.