Fort Mill officials aren’t so sure about COVID-19 numbers. Will its mask rule expire?
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the mask mandate had been extended.
The mandatory mask mandate in Fort Mill could expire, after it didn’t get enough votes Monday morning for a 30-day extension.
Fort Mill Town Council still could vote prior to Aug. 5 on an extension. Council had a vote Monday morning to extend its mask rule. Three of five members present, either in person or virtually, voted to extend it. Two members were absent.
Yet because the rule was an emergency ordinance, it didn’t pass.
“An emergency ordinance requires a two-thirds vote to pass and the 3-2 vote to approve does not meet that threshold,” said Chris Pettit, assistant town manager. “The current mask ordinance remains valid through Aug. 5 and council can reconvene for a subsequent vote on the matter prior to its expiration.”
Mayor Guynn Savage joined Councilwoman Lisa Cook and Councilwoman Trudie Heemsoth in favor of extending the rule. Councilman Ronnie Helms and Councilman Larry Huntley voted against. Councilman Chris Moody and Councilman Jamie Shirey were absent.
“I just question some of these, from the beginning,” Huntley said of COVID-19 statistics. “I don’t know how to get correct figures, but they do raise doubts in my mind.”
Huntley said he took a test two weeks ago. It was negative. He learned through that process, he said Monday, that someone who tests positive and retests several times before getting a negative to clear them, would have each of those positive tests counted in state data.
“Each one of those is counted as a separate case,” Huntley said. “I could represent five different people.”
Fort Mill elected officials aren’t sure how trustworthy COVID-19 statistics are, and know maybe half of town residents don’t want a mask requirement as a way to slow the spread. Yet several members voted to extend the mask rule anyway.
“It’s an inconvenience at best,” Savage said.
Fort Mill set up a 30-day mask or face covering rule July 6. It began July 8. The extension would’ve mirrored the one that passed earlier this month and applies to retail, restaurant or other public spaces. The mask rules carries a $25-$100 fine for non-compliance, though the town aims for compliance rather than fines.
Pettit said state law allows the town to put an emergency mask rule in place up to 60 days. Council considered 30 days on Monday morning.
“Other than that, there has been no change in the wording of the ordinance,” Pettit said.
Cook agreed there are some concerns with how figures are reported. Yet she favored the extension.
“I’m not sure that our nation was prepared for a pandemic, to be able to do it in a very scientific, structured way,” she said. “And so they are learning as they go too.”
Rock Hill, Chester and York have similar city mandates. York County, Clover and Tega Cay went with recommendations — not mandates — that people in those municipalities wear masks.
As of Monday morning, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control shows York County with 2,805 confirmed coronavirus cases since March. The state has almost 81,000 confirmed cases.
The 29715 zip code has 342 confirmed cases. The 29708 zip code has 308 cases. Both zip codes run through Fort Mill.
There wasn’t any public comment submitted ahead of Monday’s decision to extend the mask rule. There have been plenty of emails, Savage said.
“It’s about 50-50 on emails from those that do not believe that the mask provides any protection, and those that believe the mask is the only thing we know to do given the circumstances,” she said. “This is a very difficult task.”
There have been some to suggest a mask requirement is not the conservative route politically, Savage said. The mayor says she is plenty conservative but council is not a partisan body and coronavirus should not be a partisan issue.
“I know people that have had it,” Savage said. “I know people that have died from it. It’s not a hoax. It’s not something that’s drummed up, and it’s not the flu.”
Requiring masks as a way to support business, she added, is a conservative move compared to others. Many businesses were shut down earlier in the pandemic due to social distancing measures.
“It seemed to be one of the least invasive tactics to employ,” Savage said of the mask rule.
This story was originally published July 27, 2020 at 12:11 PM.
