City of Sumter face mask mandate expires; council downgrades it to encouragement but businesses can still make it a rule for entry

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Face coverings are no longer required by state law or city mandate in food and retail establishments in the City of Sumter following Sumter City Council's decision to not extend its local mask mandate.

Last Friday, the City of Sumter's mask mandate expired, and council did not address the matter on its agenda Tuesday. Instead, council unanimously passed a resolution, with Councilman Calvin Hastie absent, recommending various safety precautions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and the state governor be followed by community members.

"It could have been extended at the last meeting. Instead, this is the closest meeting to when it officially ran out. I think what council will consider is passing a resolution encouraging people to be safe but removing the mandate," City Manager Deron McCormick told The Sumter Item before the meeting.

Although the pandemic is ongoing, council members said it's time to remove the mandate and replace it with an encouraging resolution as the number of community members getting the COVID-19 vaccine increases.

More than 1.1 million South Carolinians have been fully vaccinated, including more than 28,000 first doses that have been administered to Sumter County residents, the 15th most in the state. Sumter County is the state's 15th most populous county.

"Even though the mandate is not in place at this time, we still think it's very important for people to remain safe and do the right thing," McCormick said.

In the past few weeks, Mayor David Merchant spoke with council members and determined the consensus was to remove the mandate but remain cautious.

"We still want to make the community aware that it's still real. It's still out there," Merchant said.

Local businesses and organizations can still require a mask be worn in their establishment.

The Sumter Police Department did not enforce the mask mandate with tickets or other consequences, which went into effect in July 2020, rather opting to talk with people and businesses not complying if the department received complaints.

Sumter's COVID-19 case numbers have ebbed and increased as the state's numbers have over the last year. The state's seven-day moving average has remained since mid-March at levels approximate to where it was last fall. More than 476,500 people statewide have been diagnosed with the virus, and more than 8,200 have died. Those numbers include more than 8,900 confirmed cases and 169 deaths in Sumter County.

"We've dealt with COVID for a little over a year, and we appreciate the willingness of our citizens to follow the rules," Merchant said. "We're just excited for our community as we hopefully move out of the COVID times. There again, it's still real, but looking forward to the months ahead of us as things seem to be getting better."