NH's New Mask Mandate: What Motor Vehicle Businesses Should Know

The new emergency order is here; the number of COVID-19 cases has risen dramatically over the last several weeks with the highest number to date seen today with 529 cases.

The state of New Hampshire currently has 4,006 active cases of COVID-19; a record high as well. The number of people currently hospitalized is double what it was two weeks ago. Predictions are this is not the peak and the worst is yet to come.

Wearing masks and practicing good personal hygiene including hand washing and use of hand sanitizer has been and continues to be our best defense against COVID-19.

So what has changed?

Many people have adapted this already and doing a great job at keeping themselves and others safe; but unfortunately there have still been so many not doing their part with the suggested use of masks.

Now the Governor has made an Emergency Order and made mask wearing a mandate. 

The mandate will apply to all indoor public spaces and outdoors when social distancing cannot be maintained.

Our members have been doing a great job; but we can do better. The calls coming in to our office with questions about employees testing positive, customers testing positive, vendors testing positive are on the rise. Each member that calls in thinks they are the only ones and unfortunately this is not the case; everyone is seeing it and we are going to see more.

Wearing masks is no longer a personal choice; the mandate is now in place as of 11/20/2020.

Tomorrow, as employers come in to work it may be business as usual but it's also another day we are in a pandemic.

• Continue to screen your employees before they start their day for COVID-19;
• Share with them the change of the mask mandate in case they are not aware;
• Hold yourself, your employees and your customers to the highest standard of keeping them, their friends and loved ones safe.

We also heard today of more New Hampshire businesses being fined for not complying with the industry specific guidelines in place.

There have been complaints being made by customers who don’t feel a dealership is following guidelines; again even though so many members are doing the right thing we can always do better. Don’t feel embarrassed or awkward when you notice an employee or co-worker not wearing a mask when they should; a moment of awkwardness could help slow the spread.

As always NHADA is here to help you through this challenging time. We can assist with your questions and also offer additional resources as needed regarding COVID-19.

Be safe and well.