York County Councilman wants masks in public amid COVID-19. Will requirement be next?
A York County Council member is now demanding county officials act to recommend people wear masks in public as coronavirus cases continue to soar.
That is done, and South Carolina officials now have said that counties such as York have the right to have mask requirements if they choose.
William “Bump” Roddey told county management and his fellow council members that county officials have been too “laid back” about the need for masks. After the cities of Columbia and Greenville passed emergency ordinances this week requiring masks in public, and Charlotte’s mayor asked North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper for a public mask requirement, Roddey said York County must act to ensure public health and safety.
Roddey said the recent spike of cases in York County that have led to record numbers in the past two weeks pushed him to ask the entire council to act.
In interviews with The Herald about the spike in cases, Roddey has said repeatedly that public mask wearing is the best way for residents to protect themselves, their families, and others.
“I’ve stated several times over that we as a county needed to step up and speak as a council or county about wearing masks,” Roddey said in an email to other council members and county management. “The public looks to us for leadership as a body, not just individual council members.”
Around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, York County management issued a statement recommending that people wear masks in public places and practice social distancing — as Roddey had requested.
The statement said:
“Due to the increase in York County COVID-19 cases, York County is encouraging residents to continue following the current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. This includes the recommendations to wear a mask in public settings and to practice appropriate social distancing.
“Preventive measures are critical in slowing the spread of coronavirus. Therefore, York County urges the public to protect each other and our community by continuing to practice COVID-19 preventive measures such as wearing a facemask, practicing social distancing, instituting good hygiene measures, and staying at home if not feeling well.
“York County Emergency Management staff are in contact with State Government Officials, State Emergency Management personnel and SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) officials regarding the spread of COVID-19 in the state and in York County. York County will continue to monitor and enforce state mandated measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
Roddey said Wednesday the county should consider a requirement for masks in public.
“We have enacted ordinances for smoking bans, animal control - it would seem that under South Carolina’s Home Rule we would have the authority to act to try and protect our residents by requiring masks,” Roddey said.
Roddey told The Herald that he has been advised by the county attorney that only state officials can order masks in public, but the cities of Greenville and Columbia have enacted their own emergency laws, The State reported.
Late Wednesday, the S.C. Attorney General’s Office issued a statement saying that cities and counties have the authority under Home Rule to enact local rules on masks.
In the statement. S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson said counties and cities and towns have the right to act, but stopped short of endorsing the measures.
Wilson’s statement said:
“The only question before my office is whether a city can lawfully pass this type of ordinance? The short answer to that question is – yes, a city can pass this type of ordinance. Our state constitution and state laws have given cities the authority to pass these types of ordinances under the doctrine of Home Rule. The basic premise behind the Home Rule doctrine is to empower local governments (ie: towns, cities and counties) to effectively govern themselves without interference from state government. There are limits to this power.”
So far, no York County Council member aside from Roddey has voiced any support for requiring masks in public places.
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster has so far refused to consider requiring masks in public.
“We do not have enough police officers to go around the state and enforce mandates,” McMaster said at a press conference in early June. “It is up to the people to determine what kind of precautions need to be followed.”
The county council is not scheduled to meet again until mid-July. Any action beforehand would require a special called meeting.
York County Council chairman Michael Johnson said he does not believe there is support for a countywide mask requirement in public places. But Johnson said that a strong recommendation from the county to wear masks in public is good policy for health and safety.
“A mask does protect the person who wears it, but a mask protects others that a person comes in contact with,” Johnson said. “If we as a county recommend wearing a mask in public to protect public health, that’s a good thing.”
County Councilman Robert Winkler confirmed that other council members were contacted by Roddey asking for the county to take mask action.
Winkler said he is still gathering information about whether a mask recommendation or requirement can be done or should be done, but acknowledged that a medical provider he spoke with Wednesday agreed that masks in public would help slow the spread of the disease.
“We have had almost record numbers in York County every day for a week or more,” Winkler said. “There are so many people walking around with this disease who don’t know they have it, that wearing a mask and social distancing might be the only ways to stop the spread.”
Winkler said he does not know if any county measure would have to include municipal measures by Rock Hill, York, Fort Mill and Clover.
At a meeting Wednesday morning in Rock Hill, Mayor John Gettys said in his opinion, any decision requiring masks in public should be done at the county, not city level.
“The city isn’t a circle,” he said. “The city is sort of like a hand or an amoeba, and we have some businesses and residents that are not in the city limits, so they would not be subject to some rule or ordinance to that degree. It would be very difficult for me, as a policymaker to treat one grocery store different than another just because where it was located.”
Gettys, who wore a mask during the meeting, said a county-level mandate would allow every resident to be treated equal.
“There’s no doubt and no question that the best thing we can all be doing is wearing a mask,” he said.
This story was originally published June 24, 2020 at 2:38 PM.
