Two more months: Columbia extends face mask law into May
Columbia officials passed an ordinance that extends the city’s mask mandate amid COVID-19 into May.
City Council passed the mask extension, which requires masks to be worn in public places, during a Tuesday afternoon meeting. The extension is good for 60 days.
Councilman Daniel Rickenmann offered an amendment that would have shortened the mask extension to 30 days, but that amendment died for lack of a second from his fellow Council members. However, Council could examine whether the ordinance is still needed before the 60 days is up.
The move comes as COVID-19 cases have continued a downward trend in South Carolina. For instance, on Monday the state Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 310 new cases of the coronavirus, a far cry from December and January, when it was common for more than 2,000 new cases to be reported on a given day. The health department also reported zero new confirmed COVID-19 deaths on Monday, the first time in months that has been the case.
And more people continue to get COVID-19 vaccines in South Carolina. DHEC records indicate more than 1.48 million doses of vaccine have been administered in the Palmetto State, as of Tuesday.
The city’s extension also comes just after Republican Gov. Henry McMaster loosened some state COVID restrictions. McMaster on March 1 lifted his “last call” order, which had cut off alcohol sales at bars and restaurants at 11 p.m. Then, on March 5, the governor ended the requirement that masks be worn in state buildings and inside restaurants when patrons aren’t eating and drinking.
The city’s ordinance says that face masks “which cover the nose and mouth shall be required in all public places within the city. All persons entering a commercial establishment in the city must wear a face covering while inside the establishment. A face covering must also be worn in situations where distances between people change frequently such as a busy sidewalk, waiting area, or popular outdoor area where it is impractical or impossible to maintain six feet of distance at all times.”
Rickenmann said Tuesday he wanted to extend the mask law for 30 days, then examine whether the city should keep going with it.
“If we look at the data, we’ve had tremendous drop (in cases),” Rickenmann said. “We’re not out of there yet. We still need to get some vaccinations and so forth. But I would prefer that we look at it in 30 day increments rather than 60 day increments.”
But the District 4 Councilman’s amendment wasn’t supported by the rest of his peers. Councilman Howard Duvall remarked that Council could end the mask ordinance before the 60 days are up, if it sees fit.
“We need to make sure we continue to follow the data,” Mayor Steve Benjamin said. “If things keep going in the direction we are going in, we do maintain the lattitude to revisit the (mask law) at any point.”
Fines for violating the mask ordinance are $100 and have been enforced by city fire marshals. It is considered a civil penalty, not a criminal offense. City Council has flirted with increasing fines for repeat offenders, but that hasn’t made it to a Council vote.
The city has issued more than 560 mask tickets since July.
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 2:30 PM.
