Orangeburg City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to extend the city’s mask mandate, which requires face coverings in retail establishments and restaurants within the city limits.
The rules will be in place through Feb. 16, 2022.
They require staff and employees of retail establishments and restaurants within the city to wear masks while working in areas open to the public.
Staff must also wear masks when interactions with other staff are likely and social distancing cannot be observed.
The ordinance also requires masks to be worn during large gatherings in the city such as festivals and parades for the next 60 days.
The ordinance says the extension is necessary due to ongoing Delta and Omicron variants of the coronavirus. The ordinance also cites the number of unvaccinated individuals and children who are not eligible for a vaccine.
According to the ordinance, individuals could face up to a $25 fine and owners of establishments could face a fine of up to $100 if they do not comply with the mask mandate.
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Employees of a business involved in home deliveries that do not wear a protective mask or sanitize their hands before presenting an item for delivery could be fined up to $50, according to the ordinance.
The ordinance also stipulates that business owners who fail to require masks of employees could have their business license suspended or revoked after repeated violations.
The business could also be declared a public nuisance if it does not follow the ordinance.
The ordinance also calls for a $100 fine for any individual who organizes a large gathering if the individual does not disperse the gathering after receiving a warning.
An individual who does not leave within a two-minute period after being warned could face a fine of up to $50.
Exemptions to the mask ordinance include outdoor, unenclosed areas at retail establishments or restaurants; those whose religious beliefs prohibit the wearing of a mask; those with a medical condition; children under the age of 2; in private or individual office settings and while in a family or household setting.
Individuals dining in restaurants are allowed to remove their masks when served their meals and drinks.
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