MASK MANDATE OR NOT? Politicians disagree on state law ahead of next week s first day of school abccolumbia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from abccolumbia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
State law prohibits South Carolina's capital city from instituting a school mask mandate intended to cover children who are age-ineligible for the coronavirus vaccine, according to guidance from the state's top prosecutor.
Wilson gave Columbia leaders until Friday to detail their efforts to ”bring the city’s facemask ordinances for schools into compliance with state law.”
South Carolina's top prosecutor says state law prohibits the city of Columbia from instituting a school mask mandate intended to cover children who are age-ineligible for the coronavirus vaccine. Attorney General Alan Wilson wrote to Mayor Steve Benjamin that the recently-approved measure is "in conflict with state law and should either be rescinded or amended." Columbia leaders last week ratified an ordinance mandating the use of masks in the city's elementary and middle schools for at least the beginning of the school year. South Carolina is now averaging nearly 3,000 new cases of COVID-19 a day and hospitals in the state are filling up fast.