CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cuyahoga County’s enforcement of Gov. Mike DeWine’s mask order will largely rely upon complaints filed by the public, rather than proactive policing, County Executive Armond Budish announced Friday.
Individuals who see others failing to abide by the mask requirement should call in complaints to the county’s new hotline at 216-698-5050, or file complaints online at cuyahogacounty.us/maskexperience.
County workers will then contact the subject of the complaints — either individuals or businesses — to let them know a complaint has been filed, Budish said. Complaints also will be forwarded to the Board of Health, and the relevant city or village.
“This is not intended to be going out and finding people not wearing masks. We want people to wear their masks… We want people to do it voluntarily,” Budish said.
If the county receives repeated complaints or cases of “serious non-compliance,” the Sheriff’s Department could investigate or potentially file charges.
Local municipalities and police departments also could respond to violations however they see fit, which could include proactive policing, Budish said.
Even though sheriff’s deputies or local police can enforce the order, Budish said “there’s not enough people in law enforcement throughout the county to track down people, chase them around and figure out who we can go after for not wearing a mask.”
People can also file complaints directly with the Board of Health or their local governments, though Budish said the county established its hotline to better allow the Board of Health to focus on contact tracing and testing rather than mask enforcement.
If the Board of Health determines certain places are continuously ignoring the mask order, the board may reach out to local authorities to address the problem, Health Commissioner Terry Allan said. Otherwise, the board intends to work with people and give them time to understand and comply with the governor’s mandate, Allan said.
Violating the governor’s order is a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $750 fine, Budish said.
Read more A hotline to report people not wearing masks In Ohio