‘Inching back to normal.’ City of Beaufort extends COVID mask requirement another month
Beaufort City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to extend its COVID-19 mask ordinance through the end of April, about half the length of previous extensions, and called for more residents to get vaccinated.
City Manager Bill Prokop introduced the ordinance nodding to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in other states, saying “there’s still a very big concern out there,” especially with Beaufort County’s inoculation rate at 33%.
“We feel an extension of 30 days will give us the opportunity to see what’s happening,” he said. “At the last count, our positive rate was just below 5%, but we still do not have enough people who have their vaccination.”
Most councilmembers agreed. Newly elected Mayor Pro Tem Mike McFee called it “appropriate and responsible. ... It’s important for us to hold the line right now.”
Councilman Neil Lipsitz encouraged residents to get vaccinated and continue using precautions, agreeing that “masks need to stay on a little bit longer.”
And Councilman Mitch Mitchell said the community needed to continue its efforts until the virus is “finally subdued” and “we can get on by summer.”
Councilman Phil Cromer was the only member to push back, saying he thought when the area’s positive rate dropped under 5% that the local state of emergency would be lifted.
“I would rather see us strongly recommend rather than mandate,” he said. But he agreed to “go along with another 30 days” because of the recent news about variants.
He said he’d vote against an extension next time if the rate was under 5%. “I’m for lifting and getting back to normal.”
Mayor Stephen Murray said he thinks the city is “extraordinarily close” to transition from requiring masks to highly suggesting them, but that national health professionals are saying 70% to 80% of a population needs to be vaccinated to stop community spread.
“The way for us to get rid of the masks is to get more shots in the arms,” he said, adding that the local vaccination ratio, 30%, was still something to be proud of.
“I think we’re inching back to normal,” he said. “I know people are tired of wearing the masks. I’m tired of wearing the masks, too, especially as it heats up, but I think it’s a small price to pay to keep our citizens safe and keep our economy open and moving in the right direction.”
The issue drew only one public comment, and it favored extending the ordinance.
The 31-day extension is good until April 30, or until the city’s state of emergency is lifted, whichever occurs first. Previous extensions lasted 61 days.
The city’s mask ordinance requires people to wear face coverings when entering any building open to the public. It also requires employees to wear masks when they’re close to coworkers and in areas where they might interact with the public. There are exceptions for those who can’t wear a mask due to age or health conditions and while eating and drinking.
The penalty is a civil fine of $50, though the city says it has encouraged voluntary compliance.
DHEC reported 11 new COVID-19 cases in Beaufort County on Tuesday, which has continued a decline in daily case counts since the beginning of the year as more residents qualified and received vaccines. The seven-day average of new cases in the county was 12.7 per day as of Tuesday. At least 2,187 COVID cases have been confirmed in Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code since the pandemic began last March.
As of Wednesday, every South Carolinian age 16 and older is eligible to receive the vaccine, and 57,824 Beaufort County residents had received at least the first dose.
