Bluffton extends face mask requirements. Where do you need to wear one?
Bluffton has extended its emergency face mask requirements until Dec. 13.
The Bluffton Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday evening to keep the ordinance in place, requiring people to wear masks inside any buildings open to the public. It was set to expire on Nov. 1.
Tuesday’s decision came a day after Beaufort County Council broke stride with the rest of the county and voted to let its mandatory mask requirements expire on Oct. 24.
When the county’s ordinance ends, people dining and shopping in unincorporated parts of Beaufort County will no longer be required by law to wear face masks. However, private businesses may still require masks.
Bluffton’s 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 of the ordinance are subject to a $50 civil fine; however, Deputy Town Manager Scott Marshall said Bluffton has issued zero penalties so far.
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?
The county’s decision may cause confusion among residents, as Beaufort, Bluffton and Hilton Head Island will require masks into December. Port Royal will decide Wednesday whether to extend its mask requirements.
Figuring out whether a mask is required in certain businesses can be tricky. Uneven growth in the municipalities has resulted in Swiss cheese-like 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 for the county.
