Most businesses followed mask rules in city

Columbus Public COLUMBUS —

Health investigated more than 6,800 businesses for COVID-19 mask and other mandate compliance between March 2020 and May 2021, but few businesses were fined. No fines were issued against customers, a Dispatch records analysis shows.

Roughly 88% of businesses were following the rules, the newspaper’s analysis of health department data found. The violations almost exclusively involved the mask mandate, according to data obtained under the Ohio Public Records Act.

Since Mayor Andrew J. Ginther reinstated the city mask mandate in September, the city received only another 186 mask complaints through Oct. 6, health department data indicates. Many of those came within the first two weeks.

Citizen complaints don’t result in automatic fines. Complaints made to Columbus Public Health must be investigated, and inspectors must see violations before issuing warnings and citations.

Masking compliance is currently going well, Anita Clark, assistant city health commissioner, told the City Council at its Oct. 25 meeting.

“Starting Sept. 10, on the onset of the city’s face-mask mandate, we have mailed over 241 complaint notifications to businesses,” Clark said. Those resulted in zero letters for noncompliance, she said.

The city’s first mask mandate, which started in the summer of 2020, resulted in at least 4,100 inspection checks that were result of members of the public lodging complaints with the city Health Department concerning businesses failing to enforce wearing masks or other mandates, data shows.