New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Get ready for COVID-19 mask mandate inspections
New Haven ‘will shut you down,’ officials tell noncompliant businesses
“While I do promote being social, we need to be socially responsible.” Maritza Bond, New Haven health director
NEW HAVEN — The city isn’t looking to interfere with local businesses, but it has advised people, warned people and yet still has observed people and some establishments not enforcing the city’s mask mandate — so get ready for health inspectors to come in and shut you down, if necessary.
That was the message from Mayor Justin Elicker and Health Director Maritza Bond, who were joined by Fire Marshal Jennifer Forslund Wednesday for the city’s latest COVID-19 update.
“We want people to take the mask mandate seriously,” said Elicker, who said New Haven has seen a 10-fold increase in COVID-19 cases over the past two months.
The same is true with vaccination, Elicker said, pointing out that unvaccinated people are five times more likely to get COVID-19 than vaccinated people — and 16 times more likely to be hospitalized.
“So we’re getting increasingly concerned,” he said.
The city recently saw two additional deaths as a result of COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths in New Haven to 211, said Bond.
“While I do promote being social, we need to be socially responsible,” Bond said.
That’s why “we’re transitioning into enforcement mode,” with regard to the mask mandate in public places, she said.
The Health Department began by doing plenty of education, but
there is a small percentage of people who continue to violate the mandate — and the city has received 28 complaints over the past three weeks, Bond said.
So as it pushes for enforcement of Elicker’s executive order, the Health Department, working with other city departments, will use a three-tier system to ensure compliance: that begins with verbal warnings, moves to written warnings and — if any establishments don’t comply with those — the city “will shut you down,” Bond said.
In the first wave of COVID-19 after businesses were allowed to reopen, the city shut down 13 establishments. So far, New Haven has issued 28 verbal warnings and two written warnings, she said.
Inspectors have the authority to issue $100 infractions — and Elicker said each person not wearing a mask in an establishment can be considered a separate infraction.
“We don’t want to enforce,” Elicker said. “We expect businesses to enforce” what goes on withing them, but “it’s not happening.”
The city would rather not be the enforcer, but for some business owners, that’s easier, he said.
So “I’m happy to be the bad guy here,” Elicker said.
For people visiting New Haven businesses, including restaurants, bars and nightclubs, from out of town, “it is vital that they know about New Haven’s mask mandate,” said Bond.
“Business owners are responsible for policing their establishments,” she said.
Forslund said the Fire Department will work with other agencies and “we’re just there to assist the community.”
As of Monday, 68.7 percent of New Haven residents have had at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot, said Elicker.
But in order to get New
Haven — and its businesses and watering holes — back to normal as soon as possible, the city really wants people wearing masks in public places, he said.
“Just to be clear: the overwhelming majority of studies indicate that masks are very effective” in preventing the transmission of COVID-19, Elicker said.
The city’s policy requiring 2,000 city employees to be vaccinated or submit to weekly COVID-19 testing goes into effect Sept. 27, he said, with employees required to upload evidence of vaccination soon after Labor Day. Employees who don’t comply “will be deemed unable to work and will be put on unpaid leave,” he said.
Officials for five AFSCME unions that represent city and schools
employees issued a statement Thursday on the vaccination mandate plan:
“The hardworking city and board of education employees impacted by Mayor Elicker’s mandate are the same workers who have been on the front lines of this pandemic for the past 18 months,” the statement said. “Our members have put their own health at risk for the sake of the New Haven community.”
The unions “will continue to advocate safe working conditions for our members and the public we serve,” the statement said. “We will bargain the impacts of the mayor’s vaccination mandate directive to make sure that the unsung heroes of this pandemic are treated in a safe, fair and consistent manner. We look forward to meeting with the mayor and his representatives for further discussions.”
The statement was issued on behalf of the heads of Local 3144 of the city Supervisors Union, Local 287 of the NHPS Custodial Managers Union, Local 884 of the City/Board of Ed Clerical Union, Local 1303467 of the Public Health Nurses Union and Local 3429 of the NHPS Paraprofessionals Union.