Name: New order requires Dallas County businesses to mandate masks on premises
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New order requires Dallas County businesses to mandate masks on premises

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9:31 AM on Jun 19, 2020 CDT — Updated at 1:48 PM on Jun 19, 2020 CDTUpdated at 6 p.m. on June 19, 2020 with additional statewide context.Starting Saturday, businesses must start requiring customers and everyone on the premises to wear a mask to contain the spread of COVID-19 as cases continue climbing.Dallas County commissioners voted 3-2 Friday to pass the mask order — which goes into effect at 11:59 p.m. Friday — after a fiery debate. The order follows similar rules put in place in other parts of the state earlier this week. Seven of Texas’ 10 most-populous counties have put face mask orders in place on businesses.Commissioners Elba Garcia and Theresa Daniel voted in favor of the order, along with Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. Commissioners J.J. Koch and John Wiley Price voted against it because of concerns about enforcement.Businesses that don’t comply with the order can face a fine of up to $500 per violation, although law enforcement will not be involved. Community outreach workers from Dallas County Health and Human Services will be tasked with making sure businesses are following through, although Jenkins said fines are unlikely.The order, which makes an exception for eating, mandates that Businesses have five days to come up with a health plan that outlines safety procedures that customers and employees must follow in order to receive service.Masks do not need to be worn when exercising outside or if someone must be screened, like at a bank, or if they adversely impact a person’s health.“In talking to the health care community, they’re telling us that this is the most important thing we can do to save lives, arrest the spread and help keep businesses open,” Jenkins said during the meeting, defending the new order.Related:Price and Koch raised concerns about how businesses owned by people of color might be disproportionately affected, and how the order would be enforced.Businesses can already require that customers wear masks and deny people service on those grounds, Price said.“They can do that. Why do they need us?” Price asked during the meeting.Koch said he was disappointed by the vote given the national conversation around policing that has taken place locally and across the country. He added that the county was adding a punishment at a time when the government needs to reduce unnecessary interactions with law enforcement.“This is a plain example of moving away from that prioritization,” Koch said. “I can hope that we’re not going to have disproportionate enforcement and hope that we don’t have negative interactions between residents and peace officers.”Beyond that, he said that the county should instead be focused on messaging and education to reduce the spread of COVID-19, particularly among the Hispanic community. Hispanics have the highest confirmed positive COVID-19 rates in the county, according to data provided by the county.Some local business owners worry that the new order will cost them more business after COVID-19 caused a miserable downturn in the economy.Sean Smith, the co-owner of Exposition Park jazz club Sandaga 813, said he believes the mask requirement will discourage customers from coming to his bar or any bar.”I don’t want to go to a bar or restaurant where everyone’s wearing masks,” he said, suggesting that it takes the fun out of the experience. Smith and his co-owner, Antonio Everette, had plans to open a second bar in the same neighborhood on April 1, but they’re waiting to see what happens with the coronavirus.”We went from making money, to not making money, to owing money,” Smith said of the past few months.Many local business owners also took to social media to express confusion about how the ordinance applies to them.Jenkins said at a media briefing Friday afternoon that businesses in need of guidance on how to craft their health policies can reach out to his office at , as well as groups like the Dallas Regional Chamber and other business associations for help.“I’m confident that each business that cares about their employees and cares about their customers” will find the right policy for their establishment,” Jenkins said. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all.”Dallas County’s order comes on the heels of spikes across the county and the state of positive cases of COVID-19, including a record 413 confirmed cases in Dallas County on Wednesday. That same day, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff enacted an order requiring masks in businesses.Gov. Greg Abbott did not object to Bexar County’s new rule, telling KWTX anchor Pete Souza on Wednesday: “Just like they can require people to wear shoes and shirts, these businesses can require people to wear face masks if they come into their businesses. Now, local officials are just now realizing that that was authorized.”Travis and El Paso counties enacted similar orders Thursday, while Harris County, the state’s most-populous county, followed on Friday afternoon.Mayors Betsy Price of Fort Worth and Jeff Williams of Arlington, however, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram earlier this week that they did not plan to require businesses to order mask wearing.Related:Staff writer Sarah Blaskovich contributed to this report.Get the latest coronavirus updates delivered to your inbox by signing up for our exclusive newsletter.By signing up you agree to our

9:31 AM on Jun 19, 2020 CDT — Updated at 1:48 PM on Jun 19, 2020 CDTUpdated at 6 p.m. on June 19, 2020 with additional statewide context.Starting Saturday, businesses must start requiring customers and everyone on the premises to wear a mask to contain the spread of COVID-19 as cases continue climbing.Dallas County commissioners voted 3-2 Friday to pass the mask order — which goes into effect at 11:59 p.m. Friday — after a fiery debate. The order follows similar rules put in place in other parts of the state earlier this week. Seven of Texas’ 10 most-populous counties have put face mask...

New order requires Dallas County businesses to mandate masks on premises

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