Blythewood Online 691

Category: COVID-19

  • Emergency broadband now available in Fairfield

    A temporary FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit program is now available to Fairfield County households who are struggling to afford internet service during the pandemic. The FCC has announced that Enrollment applications became available to consumers on May 12, 2021.

    The benefit provides:

    • Up to $50/month discount for broadband services;
    • Up to $75/month discount for households on qualifying Tribal lands; and
    • A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet purchased through a participating provider.

    A household is eligible I even one member of the household…

    • has an income that is at or below 135 percent of the federal poverty guidelines or participates in certain government assistance programs.
    • receives benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch or breakfast program,
    • received a federal pell grant during the current award year,
    • experienced a substantial loss of income due to job loss or furlough since Feb. 29, 2020 or
    • meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income or COVID-19 program.

    Here’s how to apply:

    1. Contact your preferred participating provider directly to learn about their application process.
    2. Go to GetEmergencyBroaband.org to submit an application and to find participating providers near you.
    3. Complete a mail-in application and send it along with proof of eligibility to: Emergency BroadBand Support Center, P. O. Box 7081, London, KY 40742.

    To learn more, call 833-511-0311 or go to fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit.

  • Masks off in BW, effective May 1

    BLYTHEWOOD – Wearing masks will no longer be part of the Town’s emergency ordinance, beginning May 1. Council voted 3 – 2 Monday night to amend the Town’s emergency ordinance to not require face masks in the town limits. Voting against were Councilmen Sloan Griffin and Larry Griffin.

    While masks will no longer be required and the park, Manor and other town government areas have been open to the public for months, town hall remains closed with no word about when it might reopen, according to a town hall employee. Mayor Bryan Franklin has not responded to The Voice about when the town hall might be reopened to the public. It has been closed since March 16, 2020.

    “Is there a reason to make the mask requirement expire?” Sloan Griffin asked. “We’re still in a pandemic.”

    “We’ve been wearing masks for a year,” Councilman Eddie Baughman said. “It’s time we get back to normal.”

    Business owners and churches can still require the wearing of masks in their businesses and churches within the town.

  • Blythewood in line to receive $1.55M from ARP

    BLYTHEWOOD – Town officials haven’t yet received official word, but the Town of Blythewood is estimated to be in line for $1.55 million from the recently signed American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

    The Town of Winnsboro is estimated to receive $1.19 million; Ridgeway, $0.11 million and Jenkinsville, $0.02 million.

    While broad guidelines are available as to how towns can spend the money, the S.C. Municipal Association has cautioned against spending the money until more specific guidelines are in place. Misspending the funds could result in having to repay the funds.

    Grant allocations for towns under 50,000, including Winnsboro, Ridgeway and Jenkinsville, are based on population size.

    The full bill, signed into law by President Joe Biden earlier this month, totals $1.9 trillion in spending. About $45 million of that is earmarked for larger cities, but those with a population of under 50,000, will pull from an allocation of almost $20 billion.

    “I have asked the council to be prepared to discuss the money during our budget session so we can prioritize our needs,” Blythewood Mayor Bryan Franklin said. “Right now, my input will be park security upgrades, fencing over the I-77 bridge and land acquisition for the expanded park and green space.”

    What are the allowable uses of the funds?

    COVID-19 public health emergencies and the economic impact they cause can be addressed with the funds, as is assistance for households, small businesses and non-profits. Aid can be offered to industries impacted by the pandemic (specifically the tourism and hospitality industries). The funds can help support extra pay for essential workers, though the extra funds will have a cap of around $25,000. Grants can be given out of the money to companies with employees that perform essential duties. Cities themselves can offset their losses from the pandemic, including lost funds from property taxes and hospitality and accommodations revenue. Improving infrastructure, including water, sewer and broadband are also allowed.

    Funds may not be used to cut taxes.

    Blythewood is slated to receive half its allocation within the next 60 days and another half within a year.

    The money will be administered by the State of South Carolina. Neither the town’s administrator nor the mayor have received official word from the federal government about the town’s payout, but the total cited is an estimate provided by the Municipal and County Associations.

    Funds must be spent by Dec. 31, 2024.

  • Fairfield County offers free rides to vaccination site

    WINNSBORO – In a joint effort between Cooperative Health and the Fairfield County Transit Department, free transportation to vaccine appointments will be provided to those who do not have access to transportation.

    The following locations are currently scheduling and accepting vaccination appointments:

    Lake Monticello Family Practice

    • 9017 Hwy 215 South, Jenkinsville, SC 29065
    • Call 803-298-2068 to schedule a vaccination appointment for Thursdays.

    Ridgeway Pediatric, Family and Dental Practice

    • 755 US Hwy 21 South, Ridgeway, SC 29130
    • Call 803-337-2920 to schedule a vaccination appointment for Wednesdays.

    Winnsboro Pediatrics and Family Practice

    • 1136 Kincaid Bridge Rd, Winnsboro, SC 29180
    • Call 803-635-1052 to schedule a vaccination appointment for Tuesdays

    If you do not have access to transportation, make an appointment at the location closest to where you live, then  contact the Fairfield County Transit Department (803-635-6177) to schedule transportation to your vaccine appointment.

  • BW mayor quarantines following exposure

    Family Members Test Positive for COVID-19

    BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood Mayor Bryan Franklin has self-quarantined following two of his immediate family members testing positive for COVID-19. Town Councilman Donald Brock, made the announcement at the Blythewood tree lighting ceremony at Town Hall on Sunday evening,  where Brock stood in for the mayor as emcee of the event.

    “The Mayor came into close contact with a positive COVID family member,” Brock read from a prepared statement as the ceremony opened. “And while he tested negative, he is adhering to the CDC-recommended quarantine guidelines.”

    Franklin told the Voice Monday morning that after one of his children tested positive on Friday, the entire family was tested.

    “Another child, who shares a room with the infected child, has since tested positive,” Franklin said. He said that he and his wife and the remainder of their six children have tested negative.

    “As soon as we received the news that one of our children tested positive on Friday, I immediately self-quarantined for seven days in compliance with the CDC recommendations,” Franklin said. “If I am symptom free after that time, I am no longer required to quarantine under the new CDC guidelines. If I should experience symptoms within those seven days, then I would have to be tested again or quarantine for an additional 14 days,” he said.

    “Our entire family is certainly going to adhere to the CDC guidelines,” Franklin said. “I don’t want to expose anyone.”

    Franklin said that, barring symptoms, he expects to attend the town employee Christmas party on Dec. 11.

  • CT-scan COVID test available at PH-Fairfield

    WINNSBORO – The Fairfield Covid-19 Taskforce is offering a CT scan for initial diagnosis of COVID with results provided to prescribing physicians within 24 hours. Protocols include any symptom of COVID and selected high risk individuals.

    CT-scans are recommended by the World Health Organization when PCR (sometimes known as the ‘nose swab’ testing) tests are delayed. Not only are results available rapidly it also has been reported to provide only 5% false negative rates, compared to 20% – 30% for RT-PCR.

    Slots are available now from 5-9 a.m. and 9-11 p.m., Monday thru Friday. Patients are encouraged to ask their physicians if this is the best test for them. To schedule CT testing, physicians should fax patient orders to Providence Health Centralized scheduling department at 803-256-5816.

  • COVID-19 numbers by zip code

    SCDHEC’s latest update for coronavirus case numbers in the following Blythewood and Fairfield County zip codes.

    BLYTHEWOOD – 304 reported cases

    FAIRFIELD COUNTY – 533 reported cases, 23 deaths

    Fairfield ranks sixth highest county in the state for COVID-19 cases at 2,385.11 per 100,000 residents

    Because DHEC does not report specific case numbers for several of the ZIP codes in Fairfield County any more, we are not able to give an accurate breakdown of cases by ZIP code, only totals for the county.

    Latest update: Monday, August 3 at 5:32 p.m.

  • County encourages use of facemasks

    WINNSBORO – A Fairfield County council resolution encourages but won’t require people to wear masks during the coronavirus pandemic.

    In a unanimous vote Monday, council approved the resolution. It asks residents and visitors to wear “face coverings when in public locations where social distancing is not possible.”

    “The main thing is that we can do our part to promote safety. That’s the way I look at it,” Council Chairman Neil Robinson said.

    Council’s action comes as Fairfield County’s total reported cases hit 381 as of Tuesday, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

    The resolution stated Fairfield County reported 318 cases as of July 8, meaning the county added 53 new cases in the past six days.

    South Carolina added 2,205 new cases Tuesday, just shy of the record of 2,219 cases reported three days earlier. DHEC reported 23 confirmed deaths.

    The state’s percent of positive rate was 21.5 percent, according to DHEC reports.

    In spite of the continuing escalation of COVID-19 in the state, Fairfield County Council stopped short of mandating masks and face coverings as other counties and cities have done.

    The Town of Winnsboro adopted a mask mandate on 30. Richland County, the Town of Blythewood and the City of Columbia have also passed ordinances requiring masks.

    Counties have received conflicting messages from the state on whether or not they can legally adopt ordinances requiring masks.

    At a July 10 press conference, Gov. Henry McMaster expressed opposition to a state mask mandate, saying that task should fall to local governments.

    “Things like masks, there are over 5 million people in South Carolina. Cities, counties … they’re taking local action for the local people. That’s fine,” McMaster said. “But the state would have a difficult time enforcing a statewide mask order. One size doesn’t fit all.”

    On June 25, state Attorney General Alan Wilson released a statement saying cities have the power to adopt mask ordinances, but did not specifically say whether or not counties have the same authority.

    Can Counties Order Masks?

    “A city can pass this type of ordinance. Our state constitution and state laws have given cities the authority to pass these types of ordinances under the doctrine of Home Rule,” Wilson said. “The basic premise behind the Home Rule doctrine is to empower local governments (i.e., towns, cities and counties) to effectively govern themselves without interference from state government.”

    County attorney Tommy Morgan raised the ambiguity issue during Monday night’s council meeting, along with a litany of other potential legal issues. 

    Morgan said if a mask ordinance isn’t uniformly applied to all businesses and types of people, it could be challenged.

    “[Because] this would be something that impacts a person’s physical nature, that would probably lead a court to give a strict scrutiny to those types of ordinances,” Morgan said. “An ordinance that says one class of business has different restrictions than others, in my opinion, could be constitutionally challenged.”

    Enforcement Is Another Issue.

    The council cannot require the sheriff to prosecute mask ordinance violations because it lacks that authority since the sheriff is an elected official. Code enforcement officials could not handle enforcement either since they handle specific cases, such as animal control and litter, Morgan said.

    “The county could find itself with an inability to enforce it,” he said.

    Morgan went on to cite other issues, such as budgetary constraints and infrastructure. For example, the city of Columbia is using parking attendants to enforce mask violations, but Fairfield County does not have parking meter attendants.

    Also, the county would need a special ticket to serve as the charity document. A simple uniform traffic citation would not suffice, Morgan added.

    Council members did not push for a mandatory mask ordinance.

    Most said the most important thing they could do was to educate residents about the benefits of wearing masks, which health officials say help prevent passing the coronavirus to others. Council members also noted that in the media there’s a daily blitz about why masks should be worn when social distancing isn’t possible.

    “If individuals in the county are not encouraged by now to wear face coverings, then I don’t know what else to say,” Councilman Douglas Pauley said.

  • Blythewood town council passes face mask ordinance

    The 60-day ordinance goes into effect Monday, July 13, at 6 a.m.

    BLYTHEWOOD – In a special called town council meeting Friday evening, July 10, council voted 4 – 0 to pass an emergency ordinance requiring the wearing of face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Councilman Larry Griffin was not in attendance.

    The ordinance requires all persons entering a commercial establishment in the Town to wear a face covering which covers the mouth and nose. It is also recommended, but not mandated, that face masks be worn during religious events.

    In addition, the ordinance requires that all restaurants, retail stores, salons, grocery stores and pharmacies in the Town require their employees who have face-to-face interactions with the public to also wear face coverings.

    Anyone who is unable to safely wear a face mask because of age, an underlying health condition or is unable to remove the face mask without the assistance of others is exempt from the ordinance.

    Other exemptions to wearing a face mask include: in personal vehicles, when a person is alone in an enclosed space, when eating, drinking or smoking, when a person is alone with other household members, when wearing a mask causes or aggravates a health condition, when a person is 10 years of age and younger and during outdoor physical activity as well as in indoor gyms, providing the person maintains a minimum of six feet from other people at all times and, in the case of gyms, that the facility and equipment are properly sanitized.

    Persons who fail to wear face masks in commercial establishments would be guilty of a civil infraction, punishable by a fine of not more than $25.

    Persons in authority over employees at commercial establishments who fail to require employees to wear face masks while having face-to face interaction with the public will be fined not more than $100.

    Each day of the continuing violation of this ordinance shall be considered a separate and distinct offense. In addition to the fines, repeated violations of this ordinance by a person who owns, manages, operates or otherwise controls a business subject to this ordinance may result  in the suspension or revocation of any occupancy permit or business license issued to a business where the repeated violation occurs. Repeat violations will be declared a public nuisance which may be abated by the Town by restraining order, preliminary and permanent injunction or other means provided by the laws of the state.

    “Wearing masks is the least you can do. It just makes sense,” Mayor Bryan Franklin said. “The bottom line is, if you are asymptomatic and don’t know you have it, you can still spread it. The mask is for the public’s safety. It’s not a hard thing to do.”

    Franklin said the town government will provide masks to those who don’t have access to them.

    The ordinance goes into effect on Monday, July 13 at 6 a.m. and will be in effect for 60 days.

    View the Blythewood facemask ordinance here.Download

  • Winnsboro Town Council passes ordinance to require face masks be worn

    WINNSBORO – In a special called meeting on Tuesday evening, the Winnsboro Town Council passed an emergency ordinance requiring face masks to be worn in retail establishments and restaurants. The order goes in to effect at 12:01 a.m., July 3 and will expire after 60 days. The order is renewable.

    The ordinance applies to everyone six years of age and older.

    The purpose of the ordinance, Mayor Roger Gaddy said, is to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The ordinance notes that the S.C. attorney general issued a public statement on June 25 that said enacting local mask requirements is within the police power of municipalities and is not preempted by state law.

    The ordinance states that face masks:

    1. must be worn by all customers while inside the enclosed area of any retail establishment or foodservice establishment,
    2. are required to be worn by staff of all retail establishments in areas open to the general public and where interactions with other staff are likely in areas where social distancing of at least six feet cannot be observed, and
    3. must be worn in all foodservice establishments where staff interacts with customers (including, without limitation, delivery personnel).

    Masks are not required to be worn in outdoor or unenclosed areas appurtenant to retail establishments or foodservice establishments in which social distancing of at least six feet is possible and observed and for other specific reasons outlined in the ordinance, such as when eating in a restaurant or undergoing dental procedures.

    Anyone violating the provisions of the ordinance by failing to wear a face mask when required shall be guilty of a civil infraction, punishable by a penalty of not more than $25.

    Any responsible person violating the provisions of the ordinance by failing to require employees of a retail or foodservice establishment to wear a mask when required, may be subject to a $50 fine. Retail and foodservice establishments guilty of repeat offences could lose their business license and/or be declared a public nuisance, which may be abated by the Town of Winnsboro by restraining order, preliminary and permanent injunction or other means provided for by the laws of South Carolina.

    Establishments and responsible persons shall have a duty to enforce the provisions of the ordinance only against employees of the establishment, and can not require that customers, visitors or other members of the general public wear face masks.

    John Fantry, the town’s attorney, said the ordinance does not apply to the Courthouse, county government offices or other offices where elected officials preside. He also clarified that the ordinance does not require persons to wear masks while out on the streets, sidewalks or in their cars.

    County Council Chairman Neil Robinson addressed council, saying that the county fully supports Winnsboro’s mask ordinance. He also said the county could not pass such an ordinance because only cities and towns, not counties, are granted this power under state law.

    Clicl here to view a PDF of the ordinance.Download