MA: Residents can report CV non-compliant businesses

Mass Live | Jul 13, 2020

Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday unveiled a new website for residents to report businesses not complying with the state’s health and safety guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic.

The website, mass.gov/covidcompliance, instructs anyone wishing to file a report of non-compliance to contact their local Board of Health. They can also contact the Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards with any issues.

If the Department of Labor Standards believes an investigation is warranted, the agency will call or email the complainant within 72 hours, the website says. At which point, the agency will open an investigation into the business in question in partnership with local health officials.

“People are working hard to be cooperative and creative, but if folks believe that a business or an employer is not observing the safety guidelines, we’ve set up a process for people of the public or employees to reach out and communicate that,” Baker said during his daily press briefing on Monday.

If officials determine there is a violation of COVID-19 health and safety standards, officials will escalate enforcement until the issue is rectified.

“We hope this tool can help promote accountability as we continue to reopen Massachusetts,” Baker said. “We all know everybody’s working hard to be safe and create the best new normal that we can, and we are deeply grateful of the cooperation of our employer community and so many others.”

The announcement comes a week after Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan began. Many large-scale, indoor establishments, including gyms and movies theaters, restarted last week.