MEMPHIS, Tenn —
The city of Memphis is cracking down on those businesses not complying to the city’s mask mandate.
The city has issued citations to nearly two dozen businesses for violating the ordinance. Two businesses have violated the mandate more than three times and have now been summoned.
Blues City Crab, North Side Deli and Grocery, Patrick’s and Little Italy in Downtown Memphis are just a few of 20 businesses that have violated the City of Memphis Mask Ordinance. Airways Food mart received a second mask violation along with South Memphis Market which received a summons.
“I think that we are getting here is a list of people that may be on the adjustment list. So all of a sudden if you’re the person who’s not helping to quell the spread of the virus, if we’ve got to figure out who to close, we already have a list made,” said Dr. Jeff Warren with Memphis City Council Super District 9-3.
Dr. Warren co-sponsored the mask ordinance. In it, it says all essential and non-essential businesses must require their employees, contractors, owners and volunteers to wear a face covering while performing work or interacting with others. The ordinance also states customers must wear a face covering too.
“You will not see individuals cited with violating the city ordinance, what you’ll see is businesses that are not enforcing it on their customers,” Mayor Jim Strickland of Memphis.
The Kroger at Poplar and Cleveland violated the ordinance more than three times. Dr. Warren says if everyone wore a mask consistently for 4 to 6 weeks, we’d be back to where we were when things initially shut down.
“We did pretty good in Phase 1, but when we went to Phase 2 we blew it. What we did was like we’re done, the virus is gone cool. People were tired of having to change their life,” Dr. Warren explained.
Dr. Warren says the maximum amount is $50 that you can have as a violation in the city. He says although the ordinance says $100, $50 is the state mandate for what a city can charge for a violation.