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Orangeburg County will continue requiring people to wear masks in county government buildings and vehicles following an increase in the number of coronavirus cases.
“We are way in excess of the basic idea of having an emergency,” county attorney D’Anne Haydel said during Monday’s Orangeburg County Council meeting.
Orangeburg County’s COVID-19 incidence rate is currently 598.8 per 100,000 individuals, Haydel said. The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control considers 200 cases per 100,000 individuals a high incidence rate.
Orangeburg County Council initiated the mask mandate in August when the incidence rate in Orangeburg County was 474.3 per 100,000 individuals.
Sixteen beds at the Regional Medical Center are being used for COVID patients. In August, 15 beds were being used for COVID patients.
Six intensive care unit beds were occupied by COVID patients at the Regional Medical Center. In August, four ICU beds were occupied by COVID patients.
Haydel did say the vaccination rate in Orangeburg County has improved over the last 60 days.
Orangeburg County’s vaccination rate is 52.2%. In August it was close to 45%.
Orangeburg County Council Chairman Johnnie Wright said, “It’s obvious from the numbers.
“It is a no brainer for me.”
Council voted to extend the mask ordinance. It also agreed to continue holding county council meetings electronically.
The rules are in effect for the next 60 days unless the county ends them earlier.
An emergency ordinance only requires one reading to become law.
The ordinance does not mandate masks be worn at business establishments within the county. That decision is left up to each individual business.
People visiting Orangeburg County’s courthouse and courtrooms will have to continue wearing masks, as previously ordered by S.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald Wayne Beatty.
DHEC and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended the use of cloth face coverings to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Masks are still encouraged in indoor public places.
The CDC also recommends everyone eligible get vaccinated.
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