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Customers, Masks & Alabama

May 22, 2020 | Allen A. Ritchie

Al Personal Injury Attorney Ritchie

Al Personal Injury Attorney Ritchie

 

The big question is: should Alabama businesses make customers wear masks? It is not a question with an easy answer. It puts “what is right” against “what is legal” and leaves most business owners with unclear guidance of what to do.

Here is the legal problem: businesses have a responsibility to provide a safe environment for customers. Here is the legal argument: is not requiring customers to wear masks an unsafe environment? Under normal conditions, this potentially dangerous exposure could provide a basis for a lawsuit. But these are not normal times.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has issued an executive order which will protect businesses from such lawsuits. The order reads that businesses cannot be sued if they “comply with or reasonably attempt to comply with applicable public health guidance.” The current guidance in Alabama is that masks are suggested but not required.

If you were a business owner, what would you do? The problem is not a legal one but rather a moral one. The law has given business owners an out … should they take it?

You as a customer have the same moral decision to make. Some people say the government should not tell you what to do. Well, in this case they haven’t. Will you make the right decision?

I hope you enjoy the Memorial Day weekend. You will be entering a different world.

If you are hurt in a traffic accident or suffer a personal injury, you can talk to us at the Law Firm of Eiland and Ritchie for free. We want to help you get back on your feet. We are working remotely mostly but are always available.

Also, join us on NBC 15 LawCall here in Mobile every Sunday night at 10:30 right after the news. We will take your calls live. We are experimenting with new ways to do the show and still follow the CDC guidelines. You might want to see what we have come up with.

Allen Ritchie

Alabama personal injury lawyer

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