People who violate mask, social distancing orders may face $2,000 fine in Austin

Austin American-Statesman - 7/15/2020

Austin Public Health officials on Tuesday issued emergency rules for individuals, construction sites and other work venues that could result in civil lawsuits or fines of up to $2,000 for those who refuse adhere to local orders to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

According to the order, which went into effect Tuesday and will remain in place until Nov. 12, individuals over the age of 10 are required to wear face coverings when outside of their homes, keep six feet of distance between themselves and others and avoid gathering in groups of 10 or more. The new rules also require anyone waiting on COVID-19 test results to isolate along with their entire household until cleared by health officials.

The new rules require work sites to mandate face coverings for employees, to clean and disinfect commonly touched areas twice a day and keep employees from gathering in group larger than 10 unless separated by a physical barrier. Job sites also are required to conduct general health screenings on each worker before they begin a shift, keep toilets clean and sanitary, require hand-washing and provide single-use, touch-free trash receptacles.

Construction sites are further required to keep logs of who enters a job site, designate a COVID-19 safety monitor, prohibit community water coolers and stagger shifts so no more than 10 workers are present at a site at a given time.

Individuals who break the rules can be fined up to $2,000. Work cites that violate them could be deemed a public health nuisance and sued in civil court.

Austin Development Services and Code officials said the city hopes to support worker and community safety with the new measures, not just punish businesses, and urged anyone running a job site to ensure they are following all of the city's rules.

"Austin Code Department, along with Austin fire and Austin police, will continue to respond to and document all complaints regarding violations at construction sites. Sites with multiple complaints or repeat violations will be referred to the Health Authority for possible legal action," city officials said.

Public health officials will provide more information on the latest efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.

___

Visit Austin American-Statesman, Texas at www.statesman.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.