The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners has asked its corporate counsel to determine what authority the county has in making sure businesses comply with COVID-19 guidelines.
Theboard made the request after local food service industry employees expressed concerns over a lack of oversight when it comes to making sure customers wear masks, respect social distancing guidelines, and that business owners comply with overall COVID-19 safety measures. Commissioner Andy LaBarre says a lack of resources in the county could be an issue.
Commissioner LaBarre: You have hundreds of bars and restaurants in Washtenaw County alone. So, it’s not something that we can have a public health employee on hand to enforce this in person.
LaBarre says the county is also trying to determine to what degree they can intervene in a private commercial transaction between a business and a customer while trying to protect human health.
Non-commercial, fact based reporting is made possible by your financial support. Make your donation to WEMU todayto keep your community NPR station thriving.
Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
— Jorge Avellan is a reporter for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him javellan@emich.edu
