Greenville Chamber calls on local officials to enforce mask wearing

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Following Gov. Henry McMaster’s call for local governments to employ mask wearing ordinances to prevent COVID-19 infection, the Greenville Chamber released a statement echoing McMaster’s sentiments for the region’s leaders.

“The Upstate business community cannot afford another shutdown, and many businesses are still suffering from occupancy restrictions and other operational regulations,” the news release said. “The chamber is committed to following expert guidelines to limit the spread of coronavirus. Local health officials stated last week that they believe the city of Greenville’s mask ordinance has helped arrest the rapid spread of COVID-19 in our community. Broader mask requirements throughout our county would do even more to bring certainty to employers, employees and customers. A broader requirement will protect our neighbors and bring back our economy.”

The statement reiterated counsel from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health to “dramatically reduce” the spread of COVID-19 with 30 days of strict mask-wearing, allowing businesses and schools to resume pre-pandemic operations sooner.

“Our local governments must act quickly. The temporary inconvenience of a mask can have a major impact on our economic vitality and recovery for small businesses and the tens of thousands of employees trying to keep our economy running,” the statement said.