BUCYRUS — Crawford County Health Commissioner Kate Siefert is clearing up some misconceptions regarding the order to wear masks in public places and in locations where you cannot socially distance by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine that began last Thursday at 6 p.m.
The order states that you must wear a mask when entering any business that is open to the public. For those people who claim to have a medical condition that prohibits them from wearing a mask, Siefert said businesses are permitted to ask people to show proof of their medical condition.
“So can employers. As for the lying, the proof they provide to a business or an employer should come from a medical office and can easily be verified by the physician for the person claiming to have a medical condition,” said Siefert.
She said a business can refuse entry to anyone who refuses to wear a mask.
“Yes, a business can refuse entry. Just like the ‘No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service’ — a business can refuse service to folks refusing to wear a mask inside their business. We, as consumers, really should respect the facial covering requirement for our businesses — they are in an awkward position of needing to comply to be able to keep their business open as well as the fact that wearing the facial covering protects their employees,” Siefert said.
She said the governor is in the process of creating task forces (the Ohio Investigative Unit) and setting up funding streams to employ inspectors that will be tasked with checking on businesses to ensure they are adhering to his orders.
“The last thing anyone wants is for local businesses to be fined by the governor’s office or forced to close,” said Siefert.
The enforcement of the facial covering mandate is to be done by local law enforcement in collaboration with the health department through the prosecutor’s office.
“Health Departments do not have “police” powers — we cannot issue a ticket if we see someone in a store not wearing a mask like a police officer can issue a ticket for speeding or jaywalking,” said Siefert.
She said that violating the mask order is a misdemeanor, with possible penalties of up to 30 days in jail and a $750 fine.
“However, our primary focus is to continue to provide education to local businesses and the general public on COVID-19 updates, when it is appropriate to wear a facial covering and how they should wear it,” said Siefert. “We have only received a handful of complaints and ask people to call our office at 419-562-5871 option 1 if they would like to leave a complaint.”
Tom Walker, Public Information Officer for the Bucyrus Police Department, said while the police department is the enforcement entity for the community, they are far too busy to conduct “random mask patrols.”
“In the past, any enforcement action has been directly linked to other charges or calls for service, and only after ample warning. We do not see this changing under the current order,” said Walker.
Walker said if police are called to a business due to a disturbance because of someone refusing to wear a mask, there will be consequences.
“Walmart, and other businesses, are private companies. They have the right to set policies to protect their customers and reduce liabilities. If they mandate a mask for entry and ask a customer to wear one or leave, that customer must do one of those things. If the customer refuses to leave, it could result in charges of trespass and violating a Department of Health Order,” said Walker. “Ultimately, the customer could potentially sue the business if they feel their rights were violated, but they must initially cooperate.”
Walker compares medical exemptions for masks to that of window tint.
“Certainly, a person can obtain something from their licensed physician that exempts them. I compare that to window-tint. Ohio has standards for window tint, and if one has a verifiable exemption from their physician, they’re not in violation. Same is true of masks,” said Walker.
Siefert said masks are effective at stopping the spread of COVID-19.
“When worn properly, a mask can greatly reduce the distance respiratory droplets can travel when we talk, cough and sneeze. Since COVID-19 spreads from person to person primarily through respiratory droplets, a mask can reduce that risk of transmission from person to person,” said Siefert.
She said many people with COVID-19 will have either very mild or no symptoms at all.
“We have had more than one example of a person that tested positive here in Crawford County that was asymptomatic and only knew they were positive because either their workplace required testing or they were in process of a surgical procedure and the hospital required testing prior to admission for surgery. They had no clue they were positive and unfortunately, a spouse or someone in their household ended up coming down with symptoms and becoming ill,” said Siefert. “The asymptomatic person feels horrible for having spread the virus and in at least one situation, a spouse ended up hospitalized. So yes, when we are indoors in places like retails store, grocery stores, libraries, or workplaces that have employees working close together, or even outdoors in large crowds and unable to maintain the six feet of social distancing, the use of a mask can greatly reduce the spread.”
For more information about masks, Siefert recommends this article from Florida Atlantic University.
To read a bit more (and to “see”) about masks, recommends an article from Florida Atlantic University. Click here to read it.