PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Allegheny County is launching a team that will visit businesses and use checklists to see who is following coronavirus orders. The company name and a copy of the checklist will be posted on the county website for public viewing.
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald says the county has received about 1,900 “COVID related requests” and more than 1,700 have been reviewed, completed and closed. Another 100 are in progress.
“One of the things that we have underlined since the beginning of this pandemic is that we want everyone to do things as safely as possible to protect the public.”
He says the county has heard that it should provide information on which companies follow and don’t follow the rules, and that there is confusion about what companies should and shouldn’t do.
In response, the county will launch a “COVID Field Response Team” on Thursday morning.
Fitzgerald says team members will visit community businesses to see if they follow precautions such as the state mask mandate and state and county restrictions. Members will complete a checklist and a copy, along with “educational materials”, will be released to management.
The checklist and company name will be posted on the county’s website in a link to be released tomorrow so “the public can see which companies are working hard to keep everyone safe.”
Team members will first go to restaurants and bars people have complained about, says Fitzgerald. If that business doesn’t follow the rules, an inspector will be dispatched. This could cause the installation to close.
The team will also ensure that there is no smoking and vaping indoors.
Some of the things the COVID Field Response Team will look for are if the tables are spaced far enough apart, if interior occupancy is limited to 25 percent, if staff and customers wear masks, and if there are signs reminiscent of the guests safety precautions.
Fitzgerald says this is not to punish people, but the county wants companies to follow the rules.
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