Port Royal to continue requiring face masks into the New Year. What to know
Planning to spend the holidays in Port Royal? Make sure you bring your mask.
Citing increasing COVID-19 cases across the county and country, Port Royal Town Council unanimously voted Wednesday to continue requiring face masks. The previous ordinance was set to expire Wednesday but will now be in effect through Jan. 13.
In Port Royal, people entering public spaces — and employees interacting with the public — are required to wear face masks, with the exception of children younger than 12, those with health conditions and those doing strenuous exercise or performing music. Municipalities through Beaufort County have passed similar ordinances, with unincorporated Beaufort County’s requirement in place through Dec. 19, the city of Beaufort’s in place through Feb. 11 and Bluffton’s in place through Feb. 12.
In Port Royal, violators can face a fine of up to $50.
At its meeting, the council also voted to continue to allow electronic, rather than in-person public meetings, and to permit members of the public to submit comments electronically. That rule expires Jan. 13 as well.
Over the past week, Beaufort County’s COVID-19 case counts have returned to early August levels. The seven-day average of new infections was about 60.4 as of Wednesday, one of the highest averages since the summer. And on Saturday, South Carolina set a record for daily infections with 2,715.
Though the town meeting Wednesday was in-person, most of its viewership came through the Facebook stream.
“We do miss our citizens,” Mayor Joe DeVito said.
This story was originally published December 10, 2020 at 1:57 PM.
