Richland County Council passes mask mandate for elementary and middle schools

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– On Monday, the Richland County Council passed a mask mandate for all middle and elementary schools in the county. The ordinance mirrors a similar ordinance passed earlier this month. The ordinance passed 9-1, with one member absent.

Governor Henry McMaster and Attorney General Alan Wilson have argued that the mandates are a violation of a proviso prohibiting districts from using state money to enforce facial coverings.

According to Richland County’s emergency ordinance, children over the age of 2 are required to wear a mask inside school buildings, not including high schools. The ordinance states “failure to undertake decisive action will cause detrimental harm to the general health, safety and welfare of the County, and the members of the County Council must take any and all steps to save lives and protect the welfare of all of the citizens of Richland.”

The county council cites low vaccination numbers in the state and the hundreds of students and staff who tested positive for the virus in Kershaw County.