Beaufort County extends coronavirus state of emergency. Here’s what that means
Beaufort County will be under a state of emergency for at least another month.
Monday night, Beaufort County Council voted to extend its state of public health emergency through June 11.
In mid-March, all local governments in Beaufort County signed signed emergency declarations in response to the coronavirus pandemic — allowing them to apply for federal reimbursement and shrinking the bureaucracy by giving leaders the authority to make unilateral decisions regarding town and county operations.
Beaufort County’s declaration, which was set to expire on May 16, gave County Administrator Ashley Jacobs the power to implement an emergency operations plan in response to the virus. Since then, most county departments and facilities have been closed to the public and government leaders have been meeting virtually.
However, the declaration does not directly affect the public’s ability to live their day to day lives, county spokesperson Liz Farrell said Monday.
“This is a designation that puts the county administrator in a better position to react to changing circumstances,” she said.
The town of Bluffton will consider a similar emergency ordinance on Tuesday evening.
A similar declaration passed by the Town of Hilton Head Island does not have an expiration date. It can be terminated only by a vote of council.
In Beaufort, city officials are considering a resolution on Tuesday that urges residents to follow Gov. Henry McMaster’s orders on businesses that reopen.
Farrell said the county is working on a plan to reopen some government operations, but the extension of the state of emergency would be “official recognition that we’re not out of this.”
County leaders will continue meeting virtually and have certain health and safety measure in place for at least the next 30 days, she said.
This week, the county hopes to finalize a plan to start getting employees back in the office. The plan will be phased by department, she said. As part of the plan, the county has ordered masks, plexiglass cough guards, hand sanitizers and safety signs for employees and the public, she said.
Once the reopening plan is implemented, residents wishing to pay taxes or meet with employees will be encouraged to schedule appointments beforehand or online, she said.
The state of emergency authorizes the county administrator to:
▪ Utilize all available county and municipal government resources.
▪ Transfer the direction, personnel or functions of county departments and agencies or units to perform emergency services.
▪ Contract and compensate for goods and services from private sources.
▪ Prescribe routes, modes of transportation and destinations in connection with evacuations or relocation.
▪ Suspend or limit non-emergency activities and prohibit public assemblies.
▪ Any and all other actions deemed necessary.
Parks and docks
All Beaufort County government offices remain closed to the public, but most employees are working virtually, Farrell said.
All Beaufort County owned and operated parks are closed to the public, she said.
In late April, the county reopened all county-managed public piers, docks and beach access points.
This story was originally published May 11, 2020 at 3:07 PM.
