How desert cities plan to enforce county order on businesses

On Monday the Riverside County Department of Public Health issued an order prohibiting group settings more than 10 people. The order applied to eateries and bars, while also requiring patrons inside to maintain a distance of 6 feet apart. As a result, many restaurants have switched to takeout and pick-up options.

"This is something out of our control, and its affecting everybody," RD RNNR Libations, Pints & Plates owner, Chris Chmielak said.

Chmielak and his wife have had the restaurant since November 2019. The've been trying to adapt ever since the order came out.

"[...] we had some hard conversations internally and decided just to go to a full takeout offering program that starts at 12 noon and ends at 8 o'clock, Chmielak said.

The restaurant has been in compliance with county guidelines. But many people have phoned into KESQ to report restaurants that haven't stayed within compliance.

Cities throughout the valley have began to take a similar approach on enforcing restrictions.

"We’ve talked to the sheriff’s department about what is going with respect to if somebody calls in and witnesses a situation that should be addressed, would they do it? Per that order by the health department, they would be able to do that," La Quinta City Manager, Jon McMillen said.

McMillen said that law enforcement would go in and assess the situation. If a restaurant is not in compliance, they would receive a warning. If the violation continues, a restaurant could be shut down.

"Our approach has been to educate them. We don’t want to make this punitive and slap them with a fine in these times because they’re already taking a financial hit," Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez said.

Hernandez said the city is also basing enforcement off complaints that come in.

"We need the community’s help to help us enforce," Hernandez said.

The city of Indio has also asked for compliance and urged restaurants to be 'good neighbors.'

Meanwhile, the city of Palm Desert released this statement:

Our partners at the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health (DEH) take the lead in responding to complaints of businesses failing to comply with their Order Cancelling All Gatherings With Expected Presence Greater Than 10 Individuals.   According to DEH, they will respond to complaints by first contacting the businesses directly via telephone, then referring the matter over to local law enforcement.

If a restaurant doesn't follow county guidelines, they could potentially be taken to court.