Hilton Head leaders say SC inaction ‘is killing us.’ Residents blame local leaders, too
Hilton Head Island’s leaders aren’t happy with how S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster is handling coronavirus.
“He is moving very slowly,” Mayor John McCann said during an emergency meeting Friday of the Town Council. “He’s doing a ‘drip, drip, drip’ situation, which is killing us.”
“The idea that he’s ‘drip dripping’ and we’re following and waiting for him ... really doesn’t serve us later,” council member Tamara Becker responded to the mayor’s characterization.
“He needs to get off his duff and do something,” Mayor pro tem Bill Harkins added.
“I cannot express how frustrated I am with the governor of the state,” council member Glenn Stanford said later about South Carolina’s lack of a “shelter-in-place” order.
Referencing the governor’s slow pace to order restrictions on everyday life in comparison to other states’, Hilton Head leaders have repeatedly asked for statewide action.
Two people from Beaufort County have died due to COVID-19 as of Saturday morning. Neither of those people lived on Hilton Head Island.
But according to comments on the meeting’s Facebook page and letters to the editor of The Island Packet, the fury isn’t just aimed at the governor.
Town leaders are getting their share, too.
“WHY DON’T YOU JUST LEAD,” former mayoral candidate Barry Ginn implored during the comment stream of the council meeting, which had around 300 viewers at times.
“Next meeting! Do something now,” another person wrote.
“Don’t wait until Tuesday,” still another wrote. “Get it done now.”
“Omg stop talking and make a decision. Shelter in place. No visitors,” another person said.
Many have contrasted Hilton Head’s pace on coronavirus-related restrictions to other beach destinations.
In Florida, beach towns and spring break destinations started closing their beaches March 15. The Outer Banks in North Carolina closed to all non-residents starting March 19. And Myrtle Beach officials essentially kicked out all visitors when they ordered hotels and accommodations services to reschedule or cancel all reservations from March 28 through April 30.
The moves came as the cities of Columbia and Charleston implemented their own shelter-in-place orders, which Hilton Head has threatened to replicate but thus far has not.
‘I don’t believe it’s symbolic’
Moves by McCann and the council have often been followed by governor’s orders in recent weeks. The mayor has said he’s been in contact with the governor’s office and appears to anticipate his moves.
McCann announced a 60-day closure of all public beach access points on the island on March 21. McMaster did the same statewide on March 31.
The town encouraged nonessential businesses to close on March 30. The following day, the governor ordered the same thing.
The difference: McMaster’s orders have been enforceable.
Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner has maintained that in a state of emergency, his deputies must enforce the governor’s orders over town ordinances. That fact has tied the town’s hands when it comes to issuing a local shelter-in-place ordinance, McCann said.
“The enforcement of what you want to do is the most difficult part of it,” he told the council Friday. “The sheriff won’t enforce anything that does not come out of the governor’s office. Without P.J.’s enforcement, it’s a very difficult situation.”
But not every council member agreed with pinning the hesitancy on enforcement.
“I understand and I appreciate the sheriff’s position on that,” Tamara Becker said. “But (town ordinances are) not symbolic, I don’t believe it’s symbolic. I believe (residents) are looking for that guidance.”
“For us to stand back and say our hands are tied is just wrong,” she added.
Others suggesting the town take a more direct approach and stagger grocery store opening hours so people spread out their usage of stores at peak hours.
“It’s so important to think about where people congregate by necessity, and we should be spreading those hours out so we aren’t inadvertently creating situations where those people are coming in contact,” David Ames said.
No member of council made a motion to vote on that idea.
What’s next?
Friday’s meeting served as an update from several town staff members on what has changed on the island, including:
- Town information is now translated to Spanish and available in both languages, communications director Carolyn Grant said.
- Town staff has towed relatively few vehicles parked at town parks or beach access points, attorney Stephen Ryan said.
Hilton Head has households with multiple people infected, EMS battalion chief Tom Bouthillet said. He added that people should continue to stay home to slow the spread of the virus.
Town emergency staff has requested more equipment from new and existing vendors and asked for donations, emergency management coordinator Tom Dunn said.
The town will soon get information about COVID-19 cases by zip code after McMaster directed DHEC to release that information, fire chief Brad Tadlock said.
Town leaders will meet again at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
They have not issued a local shelter in place ordinance, but have closed beach and park access and urged gated communities to close their amenities. Town staff are visiting businesses to enforce the governor’s order for nonessential businesses to close.
This story was originally published April 4, 2020 at 8:36 AM.
