SC county with most COVID cases to consider recommending mask wearing

Greenville County has led the state in COVID-19 cases for almost a month, leading a county councilman to propose a resolution to ask people to wear face masks. However, the mask-wearing suggestion, if passed, would not formally go into place for at least a month, while health experts fear a continued surge in new coronavirus infections through the holidays.

The directive would be a suggestion, not a law. The city of Greenville was the first in the state to pass a law requiring masks about five months ago and saw an immediate decrease in the number of cases, DHEC records show. Many other cities and counties followed — but not Greenville County.

The number of cases has been increasing since summer.

Greenville County Councilman Ennis Fant proposed the resolution at a council meeting Tuesday night but asked that it be sent to a committee rather than have an immediate vote. He said that would postpone a vote until a new council is seated in January.

He said five councilors vote against every measure he proposes.

“Two of the automatic ‘no’ votes will be gone, and we will be in a better place,” he said.

Greenville County is the state’s largest county. Other large counties, including Richland and Charleston, have required face masks to be worn in many public places for months.

Fant said Greenville County recorded 240 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and about 24,000 since the pandemic began.

Last week, doctors from Greenville County’s two hospital systems implored the public to wear masks, social distance and wash hands to stem the rapid increase in cases.

This story was originally published December 2, 2020 at 9:51 AM.