Bluffton extends COVID-19 face mask rules, approves virtual meeting ordinance
Bluffton has extended its emergency face mask requirements until Feb. 12 and passed an additional permanent ordinance that allows elected officials to meet virtually.
The Bluffton Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday evening to keep the mask ordinance in place, requiring people to wear masks inside any buildings open to the public. It was set to expire on Dec. 13.
Rather than extending emergency rules that allowed the elected body to meet virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bluffton council approved on final reading an ordinance that gives elected leaders the option to meet electronically — even after the council starts meeting in person.
Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka said Tuesday the permanent ordinance allows officials to call in to a meeting if they are “hesitant” about meeting in person. Bluffton’s elected officials have been meeting virtually since late March.
“This is going to help us forever and a day, if any of us can’t make it,” she said. “We can all meet together or electronically.”
Bluffton’s mask 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 are subject to a $50 civil fine; however, the town’s monthly report does not show whether any citations were issued in November. In October, Deputy Town Manager Scott Marshall told the council that Bluffton Police had issued zero penalties.
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.
Late last week, the Town of Hilton Head Island extended its face mask requirements until Feb. 3. Beaufort County’s rules will expire on Dec. 19, unless the governing body extends them at its next meeting on Monday.
What does “unincorporated” mean?
Figuring out whether a mask is required in certain businesses can be tricky. Uneven growth in the municipalities has resulted in spotty 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 throughout the county.
