GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM) has released guidance on how business owners can enforce the mask mandate presented in Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s new executive order.
On Friday, July 10, Whitmer signed an order requiring any business that is open to the public refuse entry or service to people who aren’t wearing face coverings, with limited exceptions.
The order went into effect Monday morning at 12:01 a.m.
Specifically, the order assigned two main responsibilities to businesses:
- No business that is open to the pubic may provide service to a customer who is not wearing a face covering.
- No business that is open to the public may allow a customer who is not wearing a face covering to enter its premises.
The order does not give any direct guidance on how these new mandates should be implemented or enforced, but SBAM says that some of its staff has spoken with state officials regarding compliance.
RELATED: Michiganders required to wear masks in indoor public spaces or face $500 fine, Whitmer order says
Based on their research, SBAM recommends that businesses open to the public:
- Should create a written policy outlining procedures for meeting the requirements of this executive order
- Should train staff on elements of the implementation of these new procedures
- Should post signs at each entrance available to the public informing them of their legal requirement to wear a face covering while inside the business
- Should verbally notify non-compliant customers of their legal requirement to wear a face covering while inside the business
- Should discourage any kind of physical management of or altercation with customers
- Should call the police if a customer refuses to leave the premises upon being asked
- Should keep employees and other customers away from non-compliant customers
While face coverings are now required in businesses, there are some exceptions. Children younger than 5 years old are not required to wear a mask, along with people who cannot tolerate a face covering. A full list of these exceptions can be found here.
According to the executive order, a business that does not comply with the new mandates could face temporary suspension of its license to operate.
“A department or agency that learns that a licensee is in violation of this section will consider whether the public health, safety or welfare requires summary, temporary suspension of the business’s license to operate,” the order reads.
To help businesses comply with these new mandates, SBAM has created a model written policy and a printable sign for entry points.
These new mandates come after a recent surge in positive coronavirus cases in Michigan and across the county.
On Sunday, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reported 390 new cases, making the total of cases in Michigan since the start of the virus 69,338.
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