Lafayette Sheriff’s Office Answers Mask Questions
Since Governor John Bel Edwards made the proclamation that masks are mandatory on Saturday, multiple law enforcement agencies throughout Acadiana have dealt with their share of questions about what it all means.
In a press release from the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office, Lafayette Sheriff Mark Garber says that generally, they are just about informing and educating the public about the rules. Garber adds that they will help any business who has a customer that refuses to wear a mask and refuses to leave the premises of the business.
Lafayette Parish deputies will basically help a business owner if someone refuses to leave, but there primary role in all of this is just to educate people about the Governor's mandate.
Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office Spokeswoman Valerie Ponseti says, via the press release, that if a customer won't wear a mask and won't leave then they could be arrested for trespassing. Here is the statute that it falls under:
If you own a business, manage a business or governmental office than you are required to ask people coming into your facility to put on a mask. They do not have to if they have a medical condition that makes breathing harder. The business/entity can get a citation if they are not following the rules, but Sheriff Garber says that is the not the intent of what they plan to do. They will focus on informing and educating the public about the Governor's mask mandate.
In the event there are businesses that are found to be habitual offenders, then the situation would be turned over to the State Fire Marshal's Office.
More From Talk Radio 960 AM
