Georgetown County extends COVID-19 mask mandate and local state of emergency into 2021
Georgetown County will be required to mask up at least until the end of January.
County Council extended the emergency ordinance Tuesday night requiring face masks inside certain businesses until Jan. 26.
The county-wide emergency ordinance automatically expires after 60 days and must be renewed with a vote.
As of Tuesday, Georgetown County has had 2,339 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 48 confirmed deaths, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. Hospitals in the county are at 82% capacity, meaning 33 hospital beds are available out of 183 in the county.
The mask mandate requires that those over the age of 10 wear face masks inside Georgetown County restaurants, grocery stores, retail businesses and pharmacies. Violating the mandate is a misdemeanor subject to a $25 fine.
Neighboring Horry County allowed its mask mandate to expire at the end of October, in a move where county council members changed the language to “strongly encourage” instead of require the wearing of face masks. An attempt to reinstate the Horry County mask mandate failed last month. The cities of Conway, Myrtle Beach, and North Myrtle Beach have mask mandates in place.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has not passed a statewide mask mandate.
