Hilton Head officials want a ‘stay at home’ rule. Here’s what they have planned
Town of Hilton Head Island officials voted unanimously Thursday to ask S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster to issue a statewide “shelter-in-place” order to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
The town appears to have a backup plan: passing its own requirement for residents to stay at home, however legal that may be. Town Manager Steve Riley has cited an opinion from the state Attorney General warning municipalities that local shelter-in-place orders have no enforcement power.
During an emergency meeting to address issues related to the pandemic, the council agreed to send its letter Friday morning encouraging McMaster to require all residents to shelter in place except for non-essential trips to the grocery store and to exercise. Mayor John McCann said he will give the governor 48 hours to respond.
On Saturday, though, a new week of rentals begins on Hilton Head. Some officials think waiting until Monday is too long.
“It’ll be far worse if we have an outbreak, because one extra day brought one extra person who brought a germ with them,” council member Tamara Becker said, urging quicker action.
She said people are still arriving on the island every day, even after hotels reported low occupancy and the town closed public beach access points last Friday.
McCann said many of the out-of-state license plates residents are seeing parked around the island belong to owners of second homes on who come from northeastern states such as New York — where the outbreak has spread further.
He asked anyone coming to the island to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arriving, but the council did not discuss banning visitors during its conversation about a shelter-in-place ordinance.
McCann, who had previously encouraged visitors to come to the island during the coronavirus pandemic, said during a Wednesday teleconference that he wants potential visitors to “re-evaluate” their plans.
To ‘shelter in place’ or not?
If the governor does not issue a shelter-in-place order, McCann told The Island Packet Thursday that he is working on a local ordinance the council could consider early next week.
While McCann did not release the draft, he said it would be similar to the ordinance the City of Charleston passed Tuesday. That ordinance closed non-essential businesses and enacted a two-week “shelter-in-place” order to its residents, outside of grocery, pharmacy and doctor visits.
But some have raised the question of whether towns can do that.
Town Manager Steve Riley referenced guidance from S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson earlier this week that cautioned local governments against issuing their own shelter-in-place rules.
“There is no local authority to take some of the actions some of the other communities in South Carolina have taken,” Riley said. “The attorney general has warned about the legal ramifications.”
Riley said that is the reasoning for Hilton Head’s request to the governor instead of passing its own rule.
Still, the council also voted to prepare a statement to the community urging people to voluntarily shelter in place if they are able, including:
- Staying at home except to give and receive essential services
- Staying at home except to go outdoors and exercise
- Practicing social distancing
- Encouraging visitors to the island to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arriving on Hilton Head
- Following federal guidelines to stop all non-essential travel
Council members appeared to disregard potential legal ramifications.
“We are struggling with issues that are starting to divide our community,” council member Tom Lennox said. “There is no justification whatsoever to compromise public safety.”
McCann and council said they will consider a shelter-in-place ordinance early next week if the governor does not issue one himself.
The council meets next at 2 p.m. Monday.
