COLUMBIA, S.C. — The City of Columbia is using social media in hopes to stop the spread of COVID-19 by creating the 'Mask Up Columbia S.C. Challenge.'
"This is the time you need national and state leadership to step up and help us all come together," Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said.
On June 23, Benjamin and the city council passed an ordinance that requires facial coverings or masks within the city.
Now the city is using social media in hopes to challenge the community to wear masks.
"We want to encourage people to take their mask and take a selfie, have someone take a photo of them, a video or TikTok, post it to your Facebook, Twitter or TikTok account and make sure to use the hash tag #MaskUpColumbiaSC," Benjamin said.
With this new social media challenge, Benjamin said everyone can join in to show off their own mask in creative social media posts.
"It's so important that we do all that we possibly can to try and keep one another healthy," Benjamin said.
But Benjamin said putting these orders in place is never an easy decision.
"No one wants to be in a position to have to consider additional stay-at-home orders, but at some point we have to think about what we need to do to finally put the plan in place to help us get through this," Benjamin said. "As a country, as a state, we are struggling through this and we all must do more.”
Governor McMaster has left mask decisions to local government in the Palmetto State. Unlike Georgia's governor where there is now a lawsuit from the governor against the mayor of Atlanta centered around the city’s mask ordinance.
"That action by Governor Kemp was a bridge too far and it's going to cost some precious Georgia lives," Benjamin said. "I told the mayor I support her position in pushing back."
Meanwhile, Benjamin said we all need to remember to focus on stopping the spread of COVID-19.
"I go through a range of emotions from frustration to disappointment, sometimes to anger. I try not to give into that and at times just udder sadness," Benjamin said. "We look at 1,000 plus lives lost as of yesterday and we refer to those statistics often and the reality is that those were people's moms and dads, and children, and loved ones, but I always try to make sure that I keep that in to context."
Benjamin said, as of Friday, the city has issued five citations. According to Benjamin, these have been mostly to businesses.