LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — Starting this month any employee that makes contact with the public must wear a face mask while at work. This is in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Over the last month about 28,000 people in Acadiana have lost their jobs.

“If we don’t do whatever it takes to be safe then people will not get those jobs back,” says Greg Gothreaux with the Lafayette Economic Development Authority.

That’s why LEDA has given over 2,500 masks to businesses in Lafayette Parish. “The governor’s order and the mayor’s order is that anyone interacting with customers, and that means if you’re a CPA firm, or a law firm or a shopping store that you have to have a mask on,” says Gothreaux.

Disobeying the governor’s order could lead to misdemeanor charges that carry a penalty of up to $500 in fines and six months in jail. For customers going into stores, masks are not required. 

“For everyone else whether you have an underlying health condition or not we really need you wearing masks when in public and then coming into contact with other people,” says Govern John Bel Edwards. He has said that masks will become part of our new normal in order to reopen our economy and get people back to work.

Gothreaux says, “This is serious we are on the verge of an economic collapse and the only way that I know to avoid that is to stop the spread of this virus. If a mask helps we need to do it.”

The LEDA website now has an “Open Safely” section. It allows businesses to register to receive up-to-date information from the state fire marshal‘s office. You can get answers to questions like steps to opening your business and any new sanitation requirements.