Fargo Cass Public Health Business Response Team upholds new Covid-19 regulations

The team will enforce and teach businesses how to follow the new Covid-19 guidelines

FARGO, N.D. — Since the pandemic began, some local businesses have struggled to stay afloat while ensuring they are following the right protocols.

The Covid Business Response Team is available to ensure and teach businesses of the new change in guidelines.

“We’ll reach out to the specified businesses, discuss with them what the mandates mean, what the limitations are set forth by the mandates and then we will reach out to our contact at the police department to ensure that it’s meeting the governors orders,” Fargo Cass Public Health Environmental Health Practitioner Chris Ohman said.

To help ensure safety throughout team members and customers, the response team says they’ll reach out if necessary.

“If any business have been identified that have Covid positive employees then we’ll reach out. We’ll go over workplace assessments with them to help with risk mitigation social distancing policies and then just update them,” Ohman explained.

The response team will help businesses stay open and avoid facing penalties.

“The first step is to make sure that these facilities are being properly educated if there’s any enforcement that would fall under PD and it would be their discretion as to how they’d enforce, but it could be a fine or revocation of liquor licence once brought to the city commission,” Ohman said.

They will be on the lookout for business not following guidelines, but they’ll need the public’s help to report any violations.

“Due to the limited resources we have in the department it’s largely going to be complaint, concern driven, we’ll be proactive in some of our venues where we know that they may be advertising large gatherings whether it’d be concerts special, things of that nature,” Ohman said.

Some business owners are glad to see a resource available in a time of uncertainty.

“I’m glad to see that they are taking an education first approach to enforcement as opposed to just immediately issuing citations,” The Boiler Room Owner Dan Hurder said.

For more information on the Fargo Cass Public Health’s Covid response team click here.