County officials have set penalties for COVID-19 safety violations in what they call a last-ditch attempt to make people take the health threat seriously.
The Elkhart County Board of Commissioners on Monday approved an ordinance that spells out the fines that will be assessed for failure to comply with COVID-19 mitigation directives. After it goes into effect on Dec. 10, repeat violations of requirements set out in recent public health orders from the Elkhart County Health Department, like wearing a mask, could net a business fines of up to $5,000 per day.
Monday’s ordinance applies to all businesses and entities inside Elkhart County.
Two orders went into effect on Nov. 19, one regarding mask use specifically and one setting out rules for restaurants, retail stores, factories and other businesses and entities. Those rules include, for every business, implementing a COVID-19 response plan; for restaurants, having barriers or 6 feet of separation between tables; and for gatherings or events where more than 25 people will attend, submitting a safety plan for health department approval beforehand.
Both orders can be viewed at health.elkhartcounty.com.
Read the full story from Elkhart Truth here.
