Port Royal will soon drop its mask requirement in public places. Here’s when.
Starting in May, people no longer will be required to wear masks and face coverings in public places in the Town of Port Royal.
The Port Royal Town Council voted 4-1 Wednesday to extend their COVID-19 mask ordinance to midnight April 30 and then transition to “strongly encouraging,” but not requiring, people to wear masks when appropriate.
The council originally was scheduled to vote on an ordinance to extend the mask mandate to May 12, but scrapped that in favor of April 30, so that it would coincide with the planned expiration of the City of Beaufort’s mask mandate. The Beaufort City Council is scheduled to meet April 27 at 7 p.m. to discuss its mask rules.
Before the vote in Port Royal, council member Kevin Phillips said he wants to end the town’s mask mandate April 30, regardless of what the Beaufort City Council chooses to do.
“But to give them that opportunity to sync up with us, I’m OK with that for two weeks, in the sense of cooperation and coordination with the [city] that we do butt up against,” Phillips said.
The vote comes as municipalities across the county have been scrambling to figure out their next steps after the Beaufort County Council voted Monday against extending its mask mandate. Seven of the 11 County Council members voted in favor of extending it, but they needed a super-majority of eight to pass it, so the motion failed.
Unincorporated Beaufort County’s mask mandate expires Thursday. On Tuesday, the Bluffton Town Council voted 4-1 to let its mask mandate expire Wednesday at 5 p.m.
“The confusion is very difficult for our citizens and community,” Port Royal Mayor Joe DeVito said. “I wish that we had all gotten together as governmental agencies — the county with the lead, because they were first to talk with all of us to say, ‘Hey guys, why don’t we do this so that everybody understands,’ and do it on a single day. That did not occur, and we’re stuck in that position.”
Mary Beth Heyward voted against ending the mask mandate on April 30, saying she wanted to hear from the medical community for their guidance. Public health officials have said masks remain an important tool in stopping the spread of the coronavirus.
The town’s mask requirement had been put in place in July to stop the spread of COVID-19 and was similar to other mask mandates from around the county.
People entering public spaces — and employees interacting with the public — have been 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. In Port Royal, violators can face a fine of up to $50.
While people are getting vaccinated across the country, federal health agencies advise people to continue to wear face coverings in public places, particularly with medium and large crowds indoors and in poorly ventilated spaces, and to continue to remain 6 feet apart from others.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people don’t need to wear masks if they are fully vaccinated and are in small gatherings with other fully vaccinated people. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after they have received their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The councilors voted unanimously to continue to allow virtual meetings and to allow members of the public to submit comments electronically. That rule expires May 12.
This story was originally published April 14, 2021 at 9:30 PM.
