News Release

Hilton Head Island Mask Mandate Ends Following Order from SC Governor Restricting Local Mask Laws

May 12, 2021

Following SC Governor Henry McMaster's order restricting local mask mandates, the Hilton Head Island ordinance requiring people to wear a face covering inside commercial buildings will no longer be enforced as of today.

The Town's mandate was originally scheduled to expire on Sunday, May 16, following a recent vote by Town Council not to extend it beyond that date.

On Tuesday, Governor McMaster issued Executive Order 2021-23, which explicitly prohibits any county or local governments in the state from relying on prior orders or using a state of emergency as the basis for a local mask mandate and bars all state agencies, local governments, and political subdivisions from requiring what has commonly been referred to as "vaccine passports" for any reason.

"We want to thank our residents, businesses and visitors for complying with our mask mandate and other precautions to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our community. All of the measures we have taken were in the best interests of our residents," said Mayor John McCann. "Now, we're simply encouraging people to continue being safe and to consider getting a vaccine if they haven't done so already."