Here’s the changes that essential businesses must make under Fresno mayor’s direction
Fresno’s “essential” businesses face harsher rules and possible fines under new orders set down Friday by Mayor Lee Brand.
Brand made clear only egregious and persistent violators will face fines.
Businesses considered “essential,” such as grocery stores and pharmacies, must maximize the number of employees who telework. Brand also directed essential businesses to post by April 15 their social distancing protocol.
Some of the other new requirements:
▪ Limit the number of people in a facility at any time so people can easily maintain a six-foot distance from one another
▪ Mark six-foot increments where people line up, both inside and outside of the business
▪ Provide hand sanitizer, soap and water, or effective disinfectant at or near the entrance of the facility or appropriate areas for use by the public and employees where there’s high-frequency interactions
▪ Provide no-touch payment systems when possible or disinfect all payment keypads, pens and devices after each use
▪ Disinfect high-touch surfaces frequently
▪ Screen employees and visitors, but not customers, using the Fresno County Public Health Department’s form
▪ Require employees to wear face coverings
In the weeks since the mayor first issued the shelter-in-place order and since social distancing became a household phrase in response to the coronavirus pandemic, residents have posted to social media photos of long and tightly packed lines at different retailers. Plus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention only recently recommended wearing face coverings.
Many businesses already made changes
Many businesses were already taking the extra measures that are now mandated, said Chuck Van Fleet, owner of Vino Grille & Spirits and president of the Fresno chapter of the California Restaurant Association.
“I can tell you, from the restaurants I know of, that a lot of us are doing that stuff already,” he said. “I don’t have tape on my floor, but we’ve got signs about social distancing outside.”
Some requirements are more challenging than others, though, like mandating that employees wear face coverings.
“I think the toughest part of that is actually finding masks,” Van Fleet said. “They want to mandate us to do it, well, give us a resource to buy them.”
Stores like Walmart, Whole Foods and Home Depot are starting to limit the number of customers inside the store at a time, leading to lines outside the stores.
So is Save Mart Companies, which operate 205 stores throughout California and northern Nevada under the banners of Save Mart, FoodMaxx and Lucky.
Save Mart already limits the number of customers in its stores and provides touchless payment systems. Save Mart also installed Plexiglass shields between customers and checkers, and checkers have gloves and hand sanitizer at every station. Save Mart and FoodMaxx also have stepped up surface cleaning.
The grocer is in the process of interviewing all employees about their health before they enter the store and ensuring they wear face masks.
“We are committed to ensuring a safe shopping experience for our customers and employees,” said Hal Levitt, senior vice president of retail operations.
Chamber of Commerce view
Fresno Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Nathan Ahle said he expects business will make a good-faith effort to abide by the new rules, if they’re not already.
He said he hopes customers will be understanding of the changes.
“It’s certainly a challenge for businesses, but hopefully we can all weather this as quickly as we can, so as soon as we flatten that curve, the sooner we can get everybody back to work,” Ahle said.
