Some indoor businesses requiring sign-up sheets for customers
SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – According to new San Diego County orders, hair salons and barbershops, personal care services, gyms and fitness centers, restaurants, wineries, bars, breweries, and distilleries now require all customers who receive services indoors or use indoor facilities to sign in with their name and telephone number.
Restaurant’s now need to obtain the name of each guest seated at a table and the telephone number of at least one guest and keep the list of names and telephone numbers for three weeks.
Good Morning San Diego legal analyst Dan Eaton shared his thoughts on the new requirement. “The stated reason for requiring sign-in sheets is important, but sign-in sheets also may be used to identify the location and contact information of someone who may not want that information known for reasons having nothing to do with the coronavirus.”
Eaton said it is not clear that the use of the information will be limited to the purpose the government has given to justify its collection and what precautions the facilities will be required to take to keep the information private, such as securely discarding it.
“Presumably, the government would not gain access to the information without showing probable cause to believe there was a location-specific outbreak or other compelling need to obtain the information. Many secure private facilities require visitors to sign in but providing tracking information of individuals to a private business with the understanding that the government ultimately may have access to it raises different concerns,” Eaton said.
