CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Law enforcement agencies and building inspection departments for Montgomery County and the City of Clarksville will begin stressing that businesses must post signs requiring the public to wear face coverings.
The required sign can be found on the Montgomery County website at https://mcgtn.org/storage/departments/government/covid19/FaceMasks.pdf.
As law enforcement and code enforcement personnel for both governments interact with businesses, they will check for compliance with the sign mandate and offer signs for posting in businesses.
“We are seeing a tremendous spike in COVID-19 cases in our community, and it seems daily that we set a new case record,” Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett said Tuesday. “My recent order requiring mask wearing also requires businesses to have a sign placed on their door requiring masks. Yet, I see all over the place where this is not the case. We need businesses to follow through and help us with this essential public health requirement.”
Sheriff John Fuson said his staff, while doing compliance checks of businesses, will work to ensure that they have the proper signage posted, and that the department will check for compliance with the mask mandate.
“If they do not have a sign posted, we will inform them of the requirement and have some signs with us to give them or post for them,” Fuson said. “We will approach this from an educational standpoint but when called for, give a proper warning. We will also document which businesses we encountered and whether or not they had a sign posted so that we can take the proper action if we return to the business.”
City of Clarksville Police and Fire Rescue departments and Building & Codes also will work to ensure that businesses have the proper signage posted, and that they are checking for compliance with the mask and signage mandates.
“People and businesses need to understand that the County Mayor’s legal order on masks and signs is more than a suggestion,” Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts said. “This order has the weight of law, and all our departments will be stressing that we require and expect compliance in the marketplace.”