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.
The board 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.
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— Jorge Avellan is a reporter for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him javellan@emich.edu
