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Mask enforcement divide deepens among SC cities as governor loosens COVID-19 restrictions statewide

The Town of Lexington inched closer to normalcy with its mask mandate dropped on Friday. Nearby Columbia says theirs won’t expire for two months.

LEXINGTON, S.C. — While Governor Henry McMaster has dropped most coronavirus restrictions, many communities still have different rules in place around mask wearing.

Town of Lexington residents inched a little closer to normalcy. The mask mandate for the town was dropped on Friday.

Spotters Sports Nutrition Owner David Parker called the move a positive for business after a challenging year.

“The coronavirus impacted our business pretty significantly because when they shut down gyms, most people had no need to take supplements,” Parker said. “A lot of the people that we weren’t seeing because of the mask mandate, we’re starting to see trickle back in because they feel that they don’t have the pressure of wearing a mask.”

He’s hopeful business will continue to improve without the mask mandate in place.

RELATED: Town of Lexington drops face mask requirement

Credit: Kayland Hagwood
David Parker

Alexis Georges, who has family in the area, worries the move will lead to more community spread.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” Georges said. “We’re still in a pandemic. Even though we all want it to be over, it’s not over. Until more people are vaccinated and it’s a lot safer, I think the masks should still be enforced.”

Just 30 minutes away, in the city of Columbia, the mask mandate remains.

Fire officials spent the weekend working to enforce it, issuing nearly 60 citations for people not following the rules.

RELATED: SC governor drops mask requirement at restaurants, state government buildings

“We still got folks that still don’t want to put the mask on, and I think one of the confusing things is when the governor lifted the mask ordinance for the state, state buildings and restaurants. I think that kind of confused people into thinking they don’t have to put it on in the city and we explained to people that’s not the case,” Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins said. “This pandemic is still ongoing…. we just encourage people to just watch out for one another and do your best to do the right thing.”

According to Columbia city leaders, their current mask mandate won’t expire for another two months.

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