Another Midlands city now requires masks
Another Midlands city now requires residents to wear masks in many cases while out in public.
Forest Acres City Council unanimously approved a mask requirement on Thursday at a special called meeting to address the issue. The requirement will go into force for the Columbia suburb’s 10,000 residents on Monday.
The emergency, 60-day ordinance will require anyone over the age of 10 to wear a mask while “entering a building or structure open to the general public.” The ordinances lists restaurants, retail stores, barber shops, medical offices and gyms as examples of places the ordinance will apply.
“This is about safety, and making sure Forest Acres is a safe place to shop and live, and not about Big Brother government,” said Forest Acres Mayor Frank Brunson. “Unfortunately, it’s a small toolbox we have to fight against this... It’s not going to cure anything, but it will buy us more time.”
The ordinance makes exceptions for those who are working out in a gym or those eating in a restaurant to remove their mask. Younger children, those prevented from wearing the mask due to a medical condition, or who cannot remove a mask on their own are also exempted.
Similar to Columbia’s ordinance which passed last week, those violating the requirement face a $25 fine. Businesses can be fined $100 for each day their employees go unmasked.
The city council could repeal the emergency ordinance before it expires, but the city’s approach will be guided by public health data, which shows a rising number of new cases in South Carolina, said City Councilman Tom Andrews.
“I personally don’t take it lightly, even though this is a temporary expansion of government,” Andrews said. “But freedom has to be tempered by responsibility.”
Several other cities in the Midlands are following the lead of Columbia and other larger cities in considering requiring masks, and Richland County may pass a countywide ordinance later on Thursday. Forest Acres is the first municipality in the Columbia area to pass a mask requirement after the capital city itself.
This story was originally published July 2, 2020 at 1:37 PM.
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