Hilton Head extends its face mask requirement. Will it last after RBC Heritage?
Hilton Head Island’s Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday afternoon to extend the town’s face mask requirement for commercial spaces.
The ordinance will now expire on May 16 if it’s not repealed by the council — or when the town’s state of emergency ends.
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 the mask while actively eating or drinking. People who have a medical condition that bars them from being able to safely wear a face mask are exempt.
Jane Kelly, assistant state epidemiologist, told the Town Council in January that new variants of COVID-19 make the next several weeks and months the most crucial time to wear a mask in public.
Passing the extension of the requirement happened with little discussion from the council Tuesday. It was the fifth extension of the mask requirement, which originally went into effect on July 1 on Hilton Head.
Bill Harkins, who represents Ward 2 on the council, said he supported renewing the mask requirement after speaking with Hilton Head Hospital CEO Jeremy Clark and RBC Heritage Tournament Director Steve Wilmot.
“We’re moving in the right direction,” he said. “(Clark and Wilmot) suggest we take heed to the guidance that we’ve been living under as the number of people vaccinated is increasing daily. My sense is we’re just about there.”
Mayor John McCann said the island’s residents and visitors should not automatically expect the town council to lift the mask mandate after RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing PGA Tour event takes place with limited fans in attendance from April 12 through April 18.
The vote comes as Beaufort County sees rising numbers of vaccinations. The average age of residents on the island is 55 years old, making more people eligible to be vaccinated than in younger parts of the state.
According to state health data, at least 10,513 people in Hilton Head’s zip codes have gotten at least the first dose of the vaccine. This accounts for 26% of the population, per the most recent census data.
Meanwhile, tourism to the island ramped up last weekend ahead of St. Patrick’s Day.
At least one group formed last year to oppose any type of mask requirement on the island.
No Mask Required HHI launched a website and petition in the fall to advocate for the removal of all mask requirements. The group organized at least one in-person protest at Town Hall.
There were several public comments Tuesday opposing the mask requirement extension.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and medical authorities such as the Mayo Clinic have found face masks help to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 5:33 PM.
