SHRM: Mask mandate bans don’t affect the private sector

Employment law attorneys said mask mandate bans generally don’t affect private businesses, according to an article posted by the Society for Human Resource Management, SHRM.

“What we are seeing with state mask mandate bans is that they generally restrict the ability of local governments and political subdivisions from implementing mask mandates,” said Alana Ackels, an attorney with Bell Nunnally in Dallas. “Private businesses remain free to implement mask requirements for employees and customers.”

Todd Logsdon, an attorney with Fisher Phillips in Louisville, Ky., said employers generally must follow the legal mandates of state and local governments, but employers must discern whether the local “directives” are legal requirements or guidance, and whether they apply to the workplace.

In Iowa, for example, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill that prohibits local governments from requiring business owners to enforce mask mandates. Business owners, however, may still choose to require employees and customers to wear face coverings.