Beaufort County extends face mask rules again despite three votes against
Face masks will be required when entering any commercial or public buildings in unincorporated Beaufort County through Feb. 13. Three Beaufort County Council members opposed the rule, including outgoing Council member Mike Covert, who cast his final vote against it.
The council’s 8-3 vote Monday evening renewed its mandatory face mask ordinance. The rules have been in place since early July due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unlike previous meetings, which were streamed live on Facebook, the mask rules were approved with little opposition. Council Chair Joe Passiment read two public comments — one for and one against the ordinance.
It’s the second time the county’s governing body has voted to extend the rules since its controversial vote in mid-October almost caused the ordinance to expire.
After that vote, the council tried unsuccessfully to pass a permanent ordinance in October that would have required face masks in the county for an indefinite period.
On Monday, Council members Covert, Brian Flewelling and Chris Hervochon voted against the emergency ordinance — as they have done since the rules were adopted in July.
“In my final vote on this,” Covert said, “I will refresh your memory. I will be voting no. I, too, wear a mask. I don’t wear one because the government tells me to. I wear one because common sense, whatever little bit I have left, tells me to.”
He said he chooses “to let the citizens vote for themselves and decide for themselves.”
The rules
Along with requiring people to wear face masks when entering commercial buildings, the rules also require employees of retail businesses, salons, grocery stores and pharmacies to wear face masks when near the general public or other employees.
The requirement applies to all people using public or commercial transportation and all employees interacting with people in outdoor spaces such as curbside pickup, delivery and service calls.
Unlike the rules on Hilton Head Island and in Bluffton, the only penalties listed in the ordinance are for repeat violations.
Any repeat violations may be declared a nuisance, according to the ordinance, and Beaufort County may revoke a company’s business license if they occur.
Several people or places are exempt from the rules:
▪ Children younger than 2 “or at the discretion of the parent, custodian or guardian”
▪ People who are unable to wear a mask due to age or health condition
▪ Those who are unable to remove a face mask without assistance from others
▪ Anyone who is traveling in a personal vehicle
▪ Anyone who is alone or in the presence of household members in an enclosed space
▪ People who are actively eating or drinking
▪ People actively swimming
What does ‘unincorporated’ mean?
Uneven growth in municipalities has resulted in Swiss cheese-like jurisdictions and pockets of unincorporated territory in Beaufort County. This means that some businesses and indoor public spaces will be subject to different rules from their neighbors.
Beaufort County’s public GIS mapping site includes municipal boundaries for the county. Beaufort’s are marked in red on the map.
The mask rules approved by Bluffton are for people and businesses within the town’s limits. Bluffton, however, has many “doughnut holes,” or areas that are not incorporated.
Although a business may have a Bluffton address, it may be in unincorporated Beaufort County. The Walmart Supercenter at Bluffton Road and U.S. 278, for example, is not within town limits.
To find out if you or your business is within the town’s limits, enter your address in the town’s “Am I in Bluffton” application.
