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On May 4, Governor Doug Ducey announced the next steps Arizona will take to gradually re-energize the economy. The Governor issued Executive Order 2020-34, allowing restaurants and coffee shops to resume dine-in services with physical distancing measures on Monday, May 11. The Governor’s Office also released additional guidelines to keep customers and employees safe.
The operators must establish and implement safety protocols and best practices, including enacting physical distancing policies, limiting the number of diners and following protocols as directed by the CDC, the United States Department of Labor Division of Occupational Safety and Health Administration and ADHS. View the Executive Order on guidance for businesses HERE.
If a food establishment closed temporarily as a result of the Governor’s Order that suspended dine-in services, then a re-opening inspection, when the restriction is lifted by the Governor, would not be required by Maricopa County Environmental Services Department (MCESD).
Although MCESD food inspectors will be familiar with the Governor’s Guidance for Reopening, enforcement for those guidelines are not within the authority of MCESD. The department's regulatory authority, delegated by the State, is to inspect restaurants for compliance with the Maricopa County Environmental Health Code and the Food Code.
Routine inspections will be conducted as they become due, and inspections that we were unable to conduct over the last few weeks at restaurants that temporarily closed will be conducted.
Over the last month, as an essential service, MCESD inspectors have continued to conduct food inspections to the tune of 900 to 1,000 a week, to ensure food code compliance.
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With the issuance of the Governor’s Executive order 2020-34, many restaurants are preparing to resume dine-in services on or after May 11.
Here is a checklist will help you identify key points from the Food Code to ensure proper employee hygiene and food safety practices are in place.
 Click here or on image to enlarge.
The Maricopa County Environmental Health Code requires the following measures to reduce the risk of foodborne disease transmission:
- Clean and sanitize food contact surfaces including utensils, food prep areas and dining tables. If a chemical sanitizer other than chlorine, iodine or a quaternary ammonium compound is used, it must be an EPA registered disinfectant applied in accordance with the label use instructions
- Restaurant operators are required to have a policy that includes employees reporting illness and individuals staying home if sick.
Here is a link to the AMC Toolbox -- Employee Health video playlist or you may click on image below, to review the policy and useful information to help protect you, your staff and your customers.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a list of EPA-registered disinfectant products that have qualified for use against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Using the correct disinfectant is an important part of preventing and reducing the spread of illnesses along with other critical aspects such as hand washing.
View the list of EPA-registered disinfectant products.
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MCESD appreciates you as a customer and realizes the COVID-19 pandemic has had adverse effects on many businesses. In an effort to assist permit holders through this difficult time, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution on April 22, 2020 that will be in effect from April 1 through September 30, 2020.
This resolution allows annual MCESD permit holders that request it, to pay their annual permit fee(s) in two (2) installments. The first half of the permit fee will be due on the permit renewal date and the balance of the permit fee would be due six (6) months after the renewal date. In addition, we will not be collecting permit reinstatement fees during this time. Please note that these adjustments do not apply to one-time permits or plan review services.
We are hopeful this modified billing process will enable operators to keep their businesses open. If you would like to make arrangements to utilize these temporary options, please contact our permit office by calling (602) 506-6824. Partial payments can only be processed over the phone
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Traditional one-time annual permit fees can be made online through our website at ESD.Maricopa.gov by clicking “Pay a Fee” or by calling (602) 506-6824.
As a reminder, all of our customer service lobbies remain closed to ensure the health and safety of our customers and staff. Please visit our Virtual Permit Counter for links to our applications, forms and assistance with online plan submittal.
We hope these payment options bring some comfort during this challenging time, and we wish you the best of health.
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Visit:
Maricopa County Coronavirus/COVID-19 for news, updates and a wide variety of resources.
Maricopa County Public Health Department's COVID-19 business resource page
ESD.Maricopa.gov for COVID-19 Resources
Get answers to your Coronavirus questions by calling the COVID-19 Hotline toll-free at 1-844-542-8201 or dial 2-1-1.
Other resources:
Reopening Workplaces During the COVID-19 Pandemic
 Click Here to Enlarge Image.
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