Face Masks

Face Masks

No word yet whether or not anyone was hurt.

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>> jon: number of coronavirus cases inch to 30,000.

State reaching death toll of 700.

Charleston county once again leading the way with highest number of one day rise.

Confirmed cases that was at 208.

If you have plans to go in any public building in the city of charleston, perhaps restaurant or retail shop as well you will soon have to wear a mask.

This comes after city council passed a face mask ordinance yesterday in response to covid-19 cases rising across the palmetto state but could it become the new normal for other municipalities.

Brooke schwieters joins us from her home with the latest on the towns and cities that could vote as early as today.

Brooke, good morning.

>> brooke: it is especially here in the lowcountry and big move in the several surrounding area.

Includes hanahan, isle of palms, edisto beach and right here in mount pleasant.

All of them working on ordinances to slow the spread of covid-19 and that means possibly requiring masks.

Now, the decision last night by charleston city council was backed by robert ball who works on the infectious disease team at musc.

Now, according to dr. ball the virus is actually more transmiscible than previously thought back in february.

He adds it has higher attack rate and shorter incubation period through respiratory droplets spreading person-to-person thus requiring a mask could help mitigate the risk.

With cases on the rise in south carolina making masks requirement especially indoors could be the next step in slowing the spread.

>> get a mass vaccine next year and mass public acceptance, that's going to be another uphill battle.

We are in for month after month of shall we say worsening scenarios.

We have already seen the effect of graduation parties and maskless get-togethers.

Add that together and it rolls -- keeps rolling like the waves at the beach.

>> brooke: mayor tecklenburg says enforcement will not be done by police officers but instead it will be done by liveability and tourism officers.

After a first warning people can be fined up to $50.

Now, the new ordinance will go into effect on wednesday, july 1st.

Meanwhile, several other municipalities like i mentioned have that similar decision to make later on either this afternoon or tonight.

No word yet on if mount pleasant will have a fine or not depending on their ordinance.

I'm in mount pleasant this morning, brooke schwieters, fox 24 news.

>> jon: thank you, brooke.

Goose creek voted against a similar measure.

Other municipalities holding emergency meeting to debate the facemask requirement and edisto will hold emergency meeting later this morning at 11:00 a.m.

Hanahan city council will meet at 3:00 this afternoon.

Iop holding meeting at 3:30 to talk about wearing masks at food and retail establishments and mount pleasant meeting 4:00 this afternoon.

>>> state representative wendell gilliard asked governor mcmaster again to consider a state mandate on facemasks.

It is the charleston democrat second request of the governor.

In letter gilliard said in order to have greater impact on the virus i'm asking you pass a state mandate requiring the use of facemasks for all south carolina citizens.

No word yet if governor mcmaster plans to make it mandatory.

>> leah: new data from roper st.

Francis on the spike in covid-19 cases.

As of thursday morning there are now 33 covid-19 patients under care at one of its three hospitals.

Officials say five more are waiting for test results and last week 18% of their more than 2,000 patient have tested positive and more than half of those people were under the age of 40.

Musc announced it has seen numbers more than double.

Last week it had 21 patient.

This week it had 48 hospitalized due to the virus.

Of those 12