The Grover Beach City Council recently adopted an urgency ordinance, which went into effect on June 2 at 5:00pm, to help protect workers through the use of face coverings to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). This ordinance requires local businesses to post signage with a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control that customers wear face coverings, as well as requires employees to wear a face covering in circumstances where physical distancing of six (6) feet cannot be maintained. Customers, however, are not required to wear face coverings under this ordinance.

“I would encourage anyone who visits one of our many local businesses to wear some form of face covering,” said Grover Beach Mayor Jeff Lee. “This urgency ordinance helps to reinforce this message through the use of visible signs at our local businesses and is another vital step toward keeping both our Grover Beach workforce and residents safe.” 

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 mainly spreads from person to person through respiratory droplets that can travel around 6 feet and are produced when an infected individual talks, sneezes or coughs. Wearing face coverings in public settings, especially when physically distancing cannot be maintained, may slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. 

In an effort to assist businesses with compliance, the City is partnering with the South County Chambers of Commerce to notify local businesses of the ordinance and provide signage in English and Spanish to convey the importance of wearing face coverings to customers. These signs are also available to download from the City’s website so businesses can print additional copies. 

The City will work with businesses to achieve voluntary compliance with this ordinance similar to other requirements tied to business reopening from the COVID-19 pandemic. This ordinance will last for 90 days with an initial review by the Grover Beach City Council on July 6. The ordinance is similar to one recently adopted in Pismo Beach and this similarity will provide a level of consistency of approach with face coverings in the South County.