Hilton Head again extends face mask requirement for restaurants, stores
Hilton Head Island’s Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to extend the town’s face mask requirement for commercial spaces.
The ordinance will expire on Dec. 5 if it hasn’t already been repealed by the council.
Hilton Head’s mask rule extends to all commercial spaces, including grocery stores, restaurants, bars, gyms, stores, hotel lobbies and other businesses.
The rule allows patrons to take off their mask while actively eating or drinking. People are exempt if they have a medical condition barring them from being able to safely wear a face mask.
The vote followed discussion by the council Tuesday after several members of the public opposed to the extension commented.
“This is not a political decision,” Ward 4 representative Tamara Becker said. “This is a decision that is weighed heavily in favor of protecting our aged population on this island and all that comes with that.”
The vote comes as at least one group has formed to oppose any type of mask requirement on the island.
No Mask Required HHI has launched a website and petition advocating the removal of all mask requirements.
People who signed the petition were prompted to submit comments to the town council prior to Tuesday’s meeting. Several repeated claims that masks do not slow the spread of the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and dozens of peer-reviewed studies have found face masks help to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
