Effingham County officials now require masks in all county government buildings, while Bryan County continues to encourage their residents to get vaccinated while holding off on any mask mandate.
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson reinstituted a mask mandate July 26 for certain groups of people to fend off the uptick in COVID-19/Delta variant cases, according to Savannah Morning News coverage. Chatham County Chairman Chester A. Ellis issued an order July 27 requiring the use of masks or face coverings inside county facilities for employees and visitors regardless of vaccination status. The same day, Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools announced that all students and employees will be required to wear masks while indoors.
Effingham County Manager Tim Callanan said masks are now mandatory in county buildings and meetings. That requirement began Aug. 9 and is a change from the prior week's policy when masks were optional in county buildings.
"The change from last week was all based on data,” Callanan said. “We came back in from the weekend and Friday and Saturday saw probably the largest spikes we've seen in the county. The data we were looking at was coming from our emergency medical services department. Their percentage of calls were about 80% COVID-related over the weekend and we were not seeing anywhere near that the previous week. We aren't immune to that as an employer and we saw increased cases among our employees.
"That, combined with the low vaccination rates in the county, caused us to institute the policy on masks in government buildings and meetings. We've had employees out so we were concerned about that, too," Callanan said.
Callanan did not have an exact figure on how many employees were out with COVID-related symptoms but did say all employees had been told if they felt sick or exhibited any symptoms related to COVID to stay home.
The county manager said the county commissioners had granted him sole authority to require masks in certain circumstances, but they were all in agreement with his recent decision.
Callanan also said that future mask-related decisions would be based on available medical data.
"We continue to emphasize to our employees and residents that getting vaccinated is one of the best ways to protect themselves from the effects of COVID, he said.
Effingham County schools Superintendent Yancy Ford said in a recent statement, "Masks will be optional for students, staff and visitors. Masks are recommended for nonvaccinated staff, students and visitors. Effingham schools will continue to provide masks for those who might request them. We will continue to monitor each day and make the necessary changes to keep our students and staff safe."
Bryan County
Richmond Hill City Manager Chris Lovell said the city has not gone down the path of mask mandates.
"We continue to monitor the situation but at this time there are no plans to make masks mandatory,” Lovell said. “City leaders are concerned about the recent increase in COVID-19 and Delta variant cases, and we continue to encourage those eligible to get vaccinated. At this point, that seems to be the most prudent approach.
"We have masks available for those who attend meetings in city hall and want to wear them. We continue to encourage social distancing in our council chambers and that applies to our council members, as well. We take our residents health very seriously and will make any future decisions based on what we feel is in their best interests."
The city administrator said the fire department recently had five firefighters out with COVID but they are now back to work.
Bryan County Administrator Ben Taylor said the county is taking a similar approach.
"At this point, we are leaving it up to our residents. We have masks available for those coming into the county courthouse in Pembroke or administrative complex in Richmond Hill. We continue to encourage our residents to get vaccinated as the best way to prevent contracting COVID-19 or the Delta variant," Taylor said.
“The commissioners continually review the situation and any future decisions will be based on the best interests of our residents," he said.
Bryan County schools Superintendent Paul Brooksher said masks are optional for all school students and staff, unlike last school year when masks were mandatory for in-school learning.
"Currently, Bryan County schools is mask-optional,” he said. “We monitor the situation daily. Last year we ran a vaccination clinic for all of our staff and we had about 40% sign up to get the vaccination last spring, in partnership with the department of public health. That number is probably higher now because of how easy it has become to get the vaccinations, but I just don't know the exact percentage today.
"We are going to partner with some local pharmacies to come back out and offer it to our staff. We encourage it for our staff, but as far as the students, it is a parental choice so we aren't delving into that with our students," Brooksher said.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Effingham, Chatham, Bryan governments, schools vary on mask mandates amid COVID surge
The Latest
Featured
