York, Chester, Lancaster can order masks in public. But will they? What we know now.
Even though South Carolina counties, cities and towns now have the authority to require that residents wear masks in public, it remains unclear if any local governments will make masks mandatory.
And because any requirements would be local, there are concerns that county ordinances would not have enforcement authority, officials said.
York County Council member William “Bump” Roddey has led the push in York County to make masks mandatory, but county officials have so far only agreed that masks should be recommended. Roddey is the lone Democrat on the council with six Republican members.
Roddey said skyrocketing COVID-19 cases in the past three weeks make it clear county officials should pursue a mask requirement.
That already has been done in Columbia, Greenville, and the entire state of North Carolina.
York County Council chairman Michael Johnson said he has not seen enough support for a mask requirement. Council member Robert Winkler said he was told by a doctor that a mask requirement is a good idea. But Winkler said he has not yet decided on his position.
Wednesday, South Carolina’s Attorney General issued a statement saying that cities and counties have the authority under Home Rule to require residents to wear face masks while out in public.
Attorney General Alan Wilson made the announcement a day after Columbia passed an ordinance requiring masks in instances where a person might come in contact with another person in public. Greenville passed a similar ordinance on Monday.
Wednesday afternoon, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced that face coverings will become mandatory in public. That announcement came a few days after Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles asked Cooper to consider a public mask requirement.
North Carolina’s mask requirement takes effect Friday at 5 p.m.
Lancaster County
For a county or city to enact an ordinance, its specific governing council body would have to act, said Lancaster County Administrator Steve Willis.
And further, a county ordinance would have authority only in unincorporated areas outside the municipal limits of cities and towns, Willis said.
That means a potential Lancaster County requirement would not have jurisdiction in the city of Lancaster and towns of Heath Springs and Kershaw, he said. Those municipalities would have to enact separate ordinances, Willis said.
Willis said he personally agrees with state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell that masks should be required in South Carolina because of the spike in cases. With so many commuters from Lancaster and York counties working in Charlotte, where masks are now required, Willis said the mask requirement for South Carolina becomes even more needed.
However the council in Lancaster County has yet to consider any requirement and no county council members have asked for a special meeting to consider it, Willis said.
City of York
York City Council member Steve Love said he supports a mandatory requirement and is going to push for a special meeting as early as Monday where the requirement could come to a vote.
Love said he has at least one other council member who wants a mask requirement, and is seeking support from others.
“It seems clear right now as cases continue to rise in the city of York and York County, that the right thing to do is require masks in public places wherever that is possible,” Love said.
York city manager Seth Duncan said the city has steadfastly encouraged masks. York Mayor Michael Fuesser made a public service video Thursday encouraging residents to wear masks and use social distancing.
“The number of cases reported daily continue to rise and we all must do our part to keep our families and each other safe,” Fuesser said Thursday. “I believe in individual responsibility, and if we all do our part, we can turn the tide on this pandemic.”
According to DHEC, York County has had more than 900 positive COVID-19 cases, with nearly 100 in the 29745 ZIP code, York city officials said. DHEC officials suspect a total of 6,750 York County people likely contracted the virus since March.
“For months now, York residents have been hearing and taking the advice of public health officials to wash their hands, stay home when sick, and social distance,” said Fuesser. “Recently updated guidance is now recommending masks when in public, and I trust York residents will follow those recommendations also.”
Rock Hill
Rock Hill Mayor John Gettys has said since the start of the pandemic that masks are essential in mitigating the spread of the virus and supports a mask ordinance, but he said an official rule should come from the county.
“In order for a mask ordinance to be effective, there has to be a civil fine attached to it so that it has teeth,” Gettys said. “And so having that done by one body for the entire county makes things so much easier, so much more uniform and so much more effective, which is the most important thing being effective for the people of York County.”
Gettys said he commends Roddey’s efforts and hopes the county has a discussion on the issue soon. He said although the Rock Hill City Council has not yet had a formal discussion on requiring masks, if the county does not enforce a mandate, Gettys suspects the city would take the lead.
“If the county does not take this up, or delays unnecessarily in taking this up, or takes it up and it doesn’t pass, then I do think that the city will step in and we’ll do what needs to be done,” he said.
Fort Mill
It is unlikely officials would mandate masks, Fort Mill Mayor Guynn Savage said.
“While we all know it is best to cover your mouth when coughing to protect others, it seems logical that wearing a mask in public may help,” Savage said. “We highly recommend this protective action, but would have strong concerns on elevating this to an ordinance as we could not effectively enforce this as a requirement.”
Safety of town employees and the public has been the top priority for months, Savage said. The town closely follows state recommendations on social distancing. In the same way, the town would take its cue from the state for any mask decision.
“Our steps forward have included slowly and carefully opening our parks and facilities,” Savage said, “all while giving serious consideration for the health issues and the economic issues we all face.”
Tega Cay
As of Thursday morning, the idea of a city decision to require masks hadn’t come up in Tega Cay.
“I haven’t heard that,” said Mayor David O’Neal. “The requirement issue has not come up with council and staff.”
Chester County
Chester County Supervisor Shane Stuart said county officials are aware of the attorney general’s opinion. As of Thursday, no action had been proposed by council members, Stuart said.
“The county hasn’t taken an official position yet,” he said. “They haven’t had a proposal or anything yet. I also just watched the county council meeting and it didn’t come up.”
However, Stuart has been a vocal proponent of residents wearing masks in public for months. Stuart has informed Chester County residents since the pandemic began that wearing masks has shown to be a crucial element in stopping the spread of the virus.
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 4:11 PM.
