22 May New CDC Mask Guidance: What Does it Mean for Your Small Business?
The CDC announced that fully vaccinated individuals can be indoors and outdoors without a mask. Many small biz owners are left confused wondering what it means for their business, employees and customers.
In this latest video, #MattTheLawyer dives into the following FAQs we’ve gotten this week:
- First, you will need todecide if you will have a mask policy for customers. It is your decision if you want your customers to wear a mask.
- You will need to decide if you will have a mask policy for employees (both customer-facing and non-customer-facing). Here are three potential models:
- a) everyone wears a mask;
- b) use the honor system of vaccination status to determine mask usage; or
- c) proof of vaccination from employees to determine mask usage.
- Where you are located matters a lot. State mandates are not the same as federal mandates. Also, many counties and cities can make up their own rules as well. You should be following the most restrictive rules out there for your locality (i.e. follow your county instead of the state or federal level).
- Yes, your business is allowed to ask for proof of vaccination. It is not a HIPPA violation for a business (given that you are not a health care or insurance company) to ask someone for their vaccination record.
- Vaccinated individuals will still need to wear masks in some types of businesses, such as health care settings, nursing homes, and shelters.
- Here are some extra items to think about:
- Will you target audience be nervous around unmasked employees?
- Will your insurance plan have any implications?
- Will your landlord have any policy mandates in common areas of the property?
- Last but not least, disagreements are likely to happen. Have a plan for how you will handle conflicts or upset customers before any issues arise.
Want to talk about what new mask mandates could mean for your business? Schedule a consultation with us.