Beaufort County backtracks, extends COVID-19 face mask requirements
One week after agreeing to allow its face mask requirements to expire, Beaufort County Council members changed their minds Monday night, voting to renew the rules Monday evening.
The council voted 8-3 to renew its mandatory face mask ordinance and keep it in place until Dec. 19. The new rules also remove exemptions for people entering schools and childcare facilities.
Even though the ordinance was set to expire, Council Chair Joe Passiment said it was brought up again as a “renewal” to remove the two exemptions. That allowed council to vote on the issue again, he said.
“After viewing this ordinance, I knew that it had flaws in it and therefore because it still existed, we needed to make these changes,” he said. “The vast majority of people are complying with mask ordinances.”
In a separate vote, the elected body approved on first reading a non-emergency ordinance that requires people to wear face masks when entering any commercial or public buildings.
The non-emergency ordinance has to be approved on two more readings before it becomes law.
Last week, the council voted not to extend its mandatory mask requirements for commercial and public buildings in unincorporated parts of the county. It was set to expire on Oct. 24.
After receiving some backlash about the decision, including a letter from Beaufort Memorial CEO Russell Baxley encouraging municipalities not to follow the county’s decision, the council brought the ordinance up for a second vote.
It passed.
Council members Mike Covert, Brian Flewelling and Chris Hervochon voted against the extension.
Along with requiring people to wear face masks when entering commercial buildings, the rules also require employees of retail businesses, salons, grocery stores and pharmacies to wear face masks when near the general public or in close proximity to other employees.
The 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.
The only penalties listed in the ordinance are for repeat violations.
Any repeat violations may be declared a nuisance, according to the ordinance, and Beaufort County may revoke a company’s business license if they occur.
Several people or places are exempt from the rules:
▪ Children younger than 2 “or at the discretion of the parent, custodian or guardian”
▪ People who are unable to wear a mask due to age or health condition
▪ Those who are unable to remove a face mask without assistance from others
▪ Anyone who is traveling in a personal vehicle
▪ Anyone who is alone or in the presence of household members in an enclosed space
▪ People who are actively eating or drinking
▪ People actively swimming
Am I in unincorporated Beaufort County?
Uneven growth in municipalities has resulted in Swiss cheese-like jurisdictions and pockets of unincorporated territory in Beaufort County. This means that some businesses and indoor public spaces will be subject to different rules from their neighbors.
Beaufort County’s public GIS mapping site includes municipal boundaries for the county. Beaufort’s are marked in red on the map.
The mask rules approved by Bluffton are for people and businesses within the town’s limits. Bluffton, however, 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. The Walmart Supercenter at Bluffton Road and U.S. 278, for example, 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.
