Paul Bass Photos
Health crew departs J Crew en route Tuesday to their next surprise inspection.
Chris Smith completes hot dog sale moments before the bust.
Anthony Keys was “literally cleaning the walk-in” Tuesday at Junzi restaurant, he said, when a team of health inspectors swarmed in — and found him in violation of the city’s Covid-19 indoor mask mandate.
Keys, manager of the Chinese restaurant on Broadway, ducked into a backroom and reemerged fully masked.
Too late.
“They need a warning,” city Health Director Martiza Bond called out.
“You’re the manager, without a mask,” she told Keys. “Omicron is real. Cases are rising.”
Maritza Bond reviews Covid info with Anthony Keys at Junzi.
Junzi was one of six Broadway retail establishments where health inspectors issued verbal warnings for having unmasked workers during a sweep Tuesday afternoon.
Officials conducted the sweep and held a press conference to remind New Haveners that an indoor mask mandate remains in effect. They held the event as the state reported an 8.98 percent daily test positivity rate and a leap of 6,000 confirmed cases over 24 hours amid the Omicron variant’s tornado-like spread.
The crew handed out signs for merchants to post about the mandate. They distributed boxes of masks along with information for customers about where to get vaccinated and tested in town. The info included the news that two new sites have opened offering saliva (rather than swab) PCR tests, mornings at 60 Long Wharf Dr., afternoons at 250 Temple St. (The tests, which are free, are considered 99.9 percent accurate, with results available within 24 – 48 hours.) Officials noted that triple vaccination remains the most powerful protection against the coronavirus.
Stores issued verbal warnings get two more chances. The second violation leads to a written warning. The third leads to the city shutting down an establishment pending approval of a remediation plan.
The health department has popped in on over 870 businesses since the indoor mask mandate resumed in August. It has not had to close anyone down, Bond said.
Dwayne Moore (pictured with Bond) didn’t get his mask back up on time Tuesday before the city crew found him helping a customer inside Neville Wisdom’s Broadway clothing shop. Moore took it in stride.
So did Jennifer Reekie, who had her mask drooping as she sat behind the counter at FatFace. The store was empty, until the city crew entered and issued her the warning.
“I had it on,” she said of her mask. “But they do slide,”
Since Covid cases began resurging in recent weeks, Reekie said, she has no longer encountered customers without masks. Before that, some customers entered without masks, then agreed to put them on at her request, she said.
As the city crew approached the Broadway parking lot island Tuesday, Chris Smith remained maskless serving customers behind the counter at Bulldog Hot Dogs.
After Bond walked in, he slipped into the back, then reemerged masked.
Bond handed Smith the mandate notice.
“This needs to be posted,” Bond said.
“OK,” Smith responded.
“We will issue you an official verbal warning,” Bond continued.
“OK,” Smith responded.
“This is a serious offense,” Bond continued. “As you know, we are in the middle of a surge of cases. Omicron has taken over as a main variant. I need you to be a responsible business person. OK?”
“Yes ma’am.”
At a sidewalk press conference before the crew set out, New Register reporter Ben Lambert asked Mayor Justin Elicker (at center in above photo) what he would tell people “struggling to comply” with his mask mandate.
“I can understand that people are tired of the pandemic,” Elicker began through his mask, after a pause to choose his words. “But wearing a mask, there’s overwhelming evidence that says it protects you and it protects other people.
“A lot of people are at high risk of dying. And for someone to put on a mask is frankly not that big of a deal to save other people’s lives. It’s our civic duty to do it. I just find it hard to believe people would be so passionate about [mask mandate] when they’re required to wear pants when they go into a store, when they’re not allowed to smoke when they go into a store, and this is something they can do to keep other people safe.”
All clear: Health department's Rafael Ramos returns from checking the upstairs level at Urban Outfitters.
I though that the city's mask mandate was based upon the Governors language from last spring. It read thusly...
“Effective immediately, any person while indoors in a public place who does not maintain a safe social distance of approximately six feet from every other person and who is not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 shall cover their mouth and nose with a mask or cloth face covering. A person shall be considered fully vaccinated 14 days after receiving the final recommended dose of a vaccine approved for use against COVID-19 by U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or as otherwise defined by the Centers for Disease Control.”
The way I read this, a lonely cashier not wearing a mask isn't in violation if they put on their mask before someone gets within 6' of them.