Can businesses legally require face masks or temperature checks for customers?
Along with the commonplace of "no shoes, no shirt, no service," masks are increasingly becoming a requirement for patrons of private stores and offices. For some medical offices, temperature checks are also required before entry. While this has been a source of public resistance, private enterprises are free to require patrons to take health precautions for themselves and others before entering an establishment. Even where local policies are less definitive, the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control offers sufficient justification.
Some object to mask requirements and temperature checks as an invasion of privacy or violations of disability rights. Such assertions lack a legal basis given the severity of the coronavirus outbreak, for employees and customers alike.
