COVID Mask Mandate Complaints and Related Internal Documents from Connecticut Department of Health

Effective February 7, 2023, the Connecticut Department of Public Health Freedom of Information (FOI) Office began utilizing a new portal for FOI submissions<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdphct.govqa.us%2FWEBAPP%2F_rs%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cdph.foi%40ct.gov%7C92073f040b8c411093d408db0aa81384%7C118b7cfaa3dd48b9b02631ff69bb738b%7C0%7C0%7C638115489220218912%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=gHBHkvGWANZzyCTAu%2FNJoti5dq9k5JGkimpzvnXz3n8%3D&reserved=0> to process all FOI requests.

Members of the public, who wish to submit FOI requests for documents in the possession of the Department of Public Health, will need to create an account by clicking the "submit a FOI request" tile, clicking "create account," and following the instructions on the page. You will only need to create your account the first time you access the portal.

Subsequently, you will use the “My Request Center” tile to check the status of your request(s), communicate with the DPH FOI Office, and to view any responsive documents related to your request. All future FOI requests will require the previously created user id and password to log in.

[DPH Logo link to the home page]<http://www.ct.gov/dph/site/default.asp>[cid:60445460-d0b2-4391-a3a4-ce9fa148edbc]

____________________________

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION: The information contained in this e-mail message is confidential and protected from general disclosure by the attorney-client privilege, the work product doctrine, trade secret protections and other applicable disclosure protection. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, any use, dissemination, distribution, reproduction, printing or storage of it is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please destroy

Dear Jordan Jordan:
The Department of Public Health acknowledges receipt of your request (Reference #: R000085-030823) under the Freedom of Information Act, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 1-200 et. seq. dated March 08, 2023, for the item(s) described below:
Other
03/01/2020 - 03/08/2023
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

I am writing to request copies of all COVID mask mandate complaints received by the Connecticut Department of Health (CTDOH) from March 1, 2020, to the present.

The purpose of this request is to obtain information on the CTDOH's handling of COVID mask mandate complaints, including the types of violations reported, the locations where these violations occurred, and the actions taken by CTDOH in response. I am also seeking any internal documents or communications related to the CTDOH's handling of COVID mask mandate complaints to better understand the agency's enforcement policies and procedures.

Please provide the following information for each complaint:

Date and time the complaint was received
Full name and contact information (e.g., phone number, email address) of the complainant
County, city or town where the alleged violation occurred
Type of establishment (e.g., restaurant, grocery store, gym)
Description of the alleged violation(s)
Actions taken by CTDOH in response to the complaint, including any investigations, inspections, or penalties imposed
In addition to the complaint records, I request any internal documents or communications related to the CTDOH's handling of COVID mask mandate complaints, including but not limited to:

Emails, memos, and other communications between CTDOH staff regarding COVID mask mandate complaints and enforcement
Policies, procedures, and guidelines for handling COVID mask mandate complaints
Reports or data on the number of complaints received, investigated, and resolved by CTDOH

I also request that, if possible and pursuant to Conn. Gen. Stat. § 1-212(d), fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest and not made for commercial gain. The requested documents will be processed by a representative of the news media/press and made available to the public at MuckRock.com.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 4 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Jordan
Please note the department reserves the right to charge any such other fees as may be appropriate pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act.
Connecticut Department of Public Health
To monitor the progress or update this request please log into the Department of Public Health FOI Request Center (https://u8387778.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=6HtRfOYLt5fXvpttM-2FU1HRmVVZLCKpw2tXC6OJbN-2FiIoUYDUuIemuFUtROu3AmUc04vrGDvWJO8mACT4aze8ow-3D-3DdmQR_wvuvADHngm95ZMdiLqe2eIzsTSh2Lopbvym5hPJdpM8iMl-2Ftp5wK3L-2BSgoblrwL5HNYMLq9OVmlELcfX67v4awiX1suIvWkBAT5-2FNGY7h2zmLVzl0JgZsu7Iv6INh4FhuUlCCueiJYbg-2F9FJGoZT3X9moxZk9BH4csF2rV0VOIVR53GizjGavrNnUBeNVIHTRZMZm6V7h00MZcd9ZjKfN5Lujl3oh1mcQnKrbH63UDV1qfB-2BDA4jAaQ6hNTwWOhKqcxF6DoyOxxL1QBO59w-2B29jM8dRrZD48ELj6mcXlE604m8OLwCk8EwK-2FILDg1cjf4lki1tYtWbfNhV8h2jSdxDAewHBHY0iTPSecsYYNltJ89B3XiBCUbS-2BXIOmH67dk)

--- Please respond above this line ---

RE: FOI Request of March 08, 2023, Reference # R000085-030823
Dear Jordan Jordan,
The Connecticut Department of Public Health received a public information request from you on March 08, 2023.
Based upon that file search, no files or information responsive to your request were identified.
Please note that the Connecticut Department of Public Health does not investigate complaints regarding violations of mask mandates.  You may want to direct your request to the Department of Economic and Community Development or the Local Health Departments in each municipality.
This completes the Department’s response to your request.
If you have any questions you may reply to this email.
Respectfully,
Department of Public Health
Freedom of Information Office
410 Capitol Ave., MS #13PHO
P.O. Box 340308
Hartford, CT 06134