Bluffton extends COVID-19 face mask rules. Here’s where you need to wear one
Bluffton has extended both its emergency face mask requirements and an emergency ordinance that allows the interim town manager to conditionally issue special event permits and close town buildings to the public.
The Bluffton Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday evening to keep the mask ordinance and emergency operations plan in place until April 14, requiring people to wear masks inside any buildings open to the public. The rules were set to expire on Friday.
An additional ordinance that allows the council to meet virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic is still in place. The Bluffton council approved in December a permanent ordinance that gives elected leaders the option to meet electronically — even after the council starts meeting in person.
As what happened in the Beaufort County Council meeting this week, the mask rules were approved with little opposition.
Mayor Lisa Sulka said during the meeting that it’s “encouraging” to see a decline in the number of newly confirmed daily COVID-19 infections across the county.
After Beaufort County saw a wave of cases throughout December and January, the seven-day average of new cases has dropped in recent days.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 37 new cases in the county on Tuesday.
Bluffton’s mask ordinance requires employees of retail businesses, salons, grocery stores and pharmacies to wear face masks when near the general public or close to other employees.
Violators are subject to a $50 civil fine; however, the town’s monthly report does not show whether any citations were issued in January.
The mask 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.
Some people are exempt from the ordinance: children younger than 8; any person who is unable to safely wear a face covering due to age or health condition; anyone traveling in a personal vehicle; a person who is alone or is in the presence of only household members in an enclosed space; and, people who are actively drinking or eating.
The ordinance specifies that a business may decline entry to a person who refuses to wear a face mask.
What does ‘unincorporated’ mean?
Figuring out whether a mask is required in certain businesses can be tricky. Uneven growth in the municipalities has resulted in spotty jurisdictions and pockets of unincorporated territory in Beaufort County.
Bluffton, for example, 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. For example, the Walmart Supercenter at Bluffton Road and U.S. 278 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.
Beaufort County’s public GIS mapping site includes municipal boundaries throughout the county.
This story was originally published February 10, 2021 at 4:36 AM.
