Health

Goose Creek Mayor: Wear Your Mask To Minimize The Spread Of COVID-19

by Nikki Gaskins Campbell

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. – More than a week after Goose Creek City Council voted down an ordinance that would have required residents to wear a face mask in certain public places, Mayor Greg Habib is urging residents to wear them anyway to minimize the spread of the coronavirus.

“Government should not have to tell you to wear a mask to protect others. But apparently that’s the only way it will happen,” the mayor said on his official Facebook page Friday. “I don’t want to hear ‘my body, my choice,’ and I don’t want to hear about seat belts or shirts and shoes. Those are intellectually lazy and not the same. Wear a mask. Twenty minutes in a grocery store isn’t that hard.”

On Saturday,  the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control announced 1,836 new confirmed cases and three new probable cases of COVID-19.

SCDHEC officials also confirmed 19 additional deaths and one new probable death.  One of the latest deaths include a middle-aged person from Berkeley County.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 43,260, probable cases to 126, confirmed deaths to 806, and 7 probable deaths, according to SCDHEC.

Despite the mayor’s plea for residents to wear masks when in public, some were critical of his comments.

“I voted for the mayor. He no longer believes in freedom and liberty. Wow, so everyone thinks we should just forget and give up our liberty and freedom. How dare governments tell us what are we can breathe or not breath,” one person commented.

“Mandate every ATM machine is cleaned before use. Mandate gas station pumps must be cleaned before use. How about every check out in Publix and Walmart the customer is handed a alcohol wipe before having to put in their pin number. A bandanna does nothing. BTW, I wear a mask,” another person commented.

Other people, however, supported the mayor’s comments and agreed masks should be worn in public.

“I agree! Yes, it’s your choice, but you are choosing to help spread a disease. No a cloth mask won’t stop everything, but it helps. Just do what you can. Find a mask that is more comfortable and plan your trips so you don’t have to wear the mask as long,” one person commented.

“Thank you, Mayor! We agree 100%. Moving at all is a struggle with Cerebral Palsy (and confined to a wheelchair) so wearing a mask is not easy for me,” said another person. “However, I’m going to wear my mask to do my part to stop the spread.”

Although city council said ‘no’ to the face mask ordinance June 25, it unanimously passed a resolution stressing the importance of wearing masks and social distancing.

“It’s been shown that wearing a mask can reduce Covid-19 cases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cloth face coverings in public settings are crucial, especially in places like grocery stores, when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain,” city officials have stressed.

Who should wear a mask:

  • People older than 2 years of age in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain

Who should not wear a mask:

  • Children under age 2
  • Anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

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Nikki Gaskins Campbell
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