Fort Worth businesses may face $500 fine if they fail to require masks
The Fort Worth City Council during a special meeting Friday ratified Mayor Betsy Price’s order requiring people to wear masks.
With Tarrant County’s coronavirus cases rocketing higher each day, County Judge Glen Whitley announced Thursday that face coverings must be worn by employees and visitors to all businesses and at outdoor gatherings larger than 100 people. It is up to each of the county’s 41 cities to enforce the mandate and set a fine for violations. Fort Worth dips into multiple counties, so the mayor must issue her own order for it to cover every city resident.
Fort Worth’s order carries a fine up to $500 for businesses found in violation. They must develop a health policy that requires employees and customers to wear masks as well as post signs advising visitors or the rule.
Code enforcement, fire and police officers have the authority to enforce. It begins at 6 p.m. Friday and runs through Aug. 3, though the council may extend it.
The order defines proper face coverings as masks, homemade masks, scarfs, bandanas, or a handkerchief.
As of Friday morning, Tarrant County had more than 10,300 positive cases with 218 deaths. On Thursday, the county reported 1,864 available hospital beds and 438 available ventilators. The county’s public health department reported there were 339 patients in hospitals with confirmed cases of coronavirus.
There was no discussion during the brief meeting Friday morning, but Price said Thursday she believed the mandate was the right step.
“We tried a voluntary compliance campaign, and folks, we just weren’t seeing it,” she said. “We were getting much lower acceptance here in Fort Worth and Tarrant County.”
Similar to the city’s stay-at-home order, Price said the focus will first be on educating people about the order rather than immediately issuing then a ticket or fine.
Brandon Bennett, the city’s health officer and code compliance director, said his staff would begin going door-to-door Friday letting businesses know about the regulation. They will also make sure bars, which Gov. Greg Abbott closed at noon, are no longer open. The door knocking will continue through the weekend.
The area chambers of commerce, the city and Fort Worth Now, the mayor’s economic recovery task force, have placed an order for 240,000 masks to provide area businesses for free, said Jarratt Watkins, Fort Worth Now director. Starting July 1, mask distribution locations will be available across the city, including at the Fort Worth Small Business Assitance Center at 1150 South Freeway. Companies needing masks can call (817) 775-3702.
hope to use federal stimulus dollars to build a stockpile of surgical masks to provide businesses if they don’t have enough, he said. Under the order, businesses must build a plan for how they will require customers and staff to mask up.
As violations are reported, Bennett said he hopes to work with companies to tweak their plans so the can come into compliance. Enforcement will not be heavy handed at first, he said.
He was optimistic Friday morning that most people would comply, but said he expected a small amount of push back.
“The people not wearing a mask have to understand that built into our laws, our freedom is the government’s ability to protect the common good,” Bennett said. “This is to protect the health and the lives of the people who work at our businesses and the patrons who go there.”
Friday’s vote was mostly a formality. Price can issue orders that last one week, but the council must vote to extend them. Only Mayor Pro Tempore Jungus Jordan was at City Hall for the vote as everyone else joined via video. Councilmen Carlos Flores and Cary Moon joined the meeting.
A recent surge in cases across Texas has concerned public officials who for weeks asked residents to wear a mask. Bexar, Dallas, Travis, Harris and other heavily urban counties began to tell businesses last week that employees and customers must wear masks, but Fort Worth and Tarrant County held off on an official order.
Whitley and Price had hoped education and a focus on personal responsibility would compel residents to cover their faces, but not enough did.
During the announcement Thursday, Price said wearing a mask would be critical to restoring some sense of normalcy and pleaded with residents.
“We can turn the curve on this,” she said. “I’m asking all of you to do your part, stay healthy and y’all mask up!”
This story was originally published June 26, 2020 at 10:44 AM.
