SC Gov. Henry McMaster on Friday issued Executive Order 2021-12, which rescinds mask requirements in restaurants.
Under the new order, neither employees nor customers are required by state law to wear masks in restaurants.
However, the executive order “recommends” masks still be worn.
According to his office, each individual business may now determine whether or not to require masks.
Please note that many towns, cities and counties each have their own mask ordinances, so do not think this alleviates the need for wearing one.
In the city of Beaufort, masks are required until April 9th in buildings that can be accessed by the public, including shops, offices, restaurants, etc. The ordinance requires that employees and the public wear masks to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, unless there is a medical reason that prevents someone from wearing a mask.
The ordinance says:
All persons entering any building open to the public in the City must wear a face covering while inside the building.
All restaurants, retail establishments of every description, salons, grocery stores, and pharmacies in the municipal limits of the City shall require their employees to wear a Face Covering at all times that the employees are in any area where the general public is allowed or when the employees must be in close proximity to one another. This requirement also applies to all persons providing or utilizing public or commercial transportation, including tours; and all businesses or employees while interacting with people in outdoor spaces, including, but not limited to, curbside pickup, delivery, and service calls.
The State Department of Health & Environmental Control has published several studies showing that masks are effective. It compared jurisdictions in South Carolina that required masks to jurisdictions that did not, and found that the rate of disease spread was slower where masks were required.
