Masks became optional in Liberty County School System buildings, regardless of vaccination status, as of Monday, March 7. Masks will continue to be required on all Liberty County School System buses. Anyone returning to school on days six to 10 of COVID quarantine will be required to wear a mask until their quarantine period is complete. Thank you to students, parents and staff for cooperation during the mask mandate. A mask requirement could return if cases surge again locally. The Liberty County School System will discontinue student and staff COVID contact tracing and will no longer post cases on the district website.
During their regular meeting March 1, the Liberty County Board of Commissioners voted to lift the local state of emergency in response to COVID-19, which was enacted Jan. 17. This decision was based on the substantial changes in the transmission rate index in association with a CDC county classification as “low.”
The cessation of the emergency order removes the mandatory masking requirement and temperature checks in county buildings, removes occupancy restrictions in rental facilities, removes internal policies established for employees established in conjunction with the order, and removes restrictions on attendance at public meetings of the board.
The board encourages all citizens and employees to continue vaccination efforts and the practice of clean hygiene protocols. They will continue to monitor COVID-19 activities and other potential public risk threats and make decisions to protect the health and safety of the citizens.
On March 3, the Hinesville City Council agreed to City Manager Kenneth Howard’s recommendation to ease COVID-19 mitigation efforts impacting city operations. Effective Monday, March 7, the city returned to pre-pandemic operations regarding its face mask requirements within city buildings and how it conducts City Council meetings.
The recommendation to ease the mitigation efforts that were put into place following the omicron virus surge comes upon news from public health officials that Liberty County’s COVID-19 community level is considered low. The CDC looks at the combination of three metrics — new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population in the past seven days, the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, and total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past seven days — to determine the COVID-19 community level.
“Following the surge of COVID-19 cases due to the omicron virus, the city took the necessary steps to protect our residents, employees and elected officials,” Howard said. “While not always a popular stance, the emergency order fulfilled its purpose of keeping us safe. We’re happy to report that, based on new guidance from public health officials … we are excited to transition to our pre-pandemic operations.”
Individuals will no longer be required to wear a face mask upon entering or moving about a city building. While face masks will no longer be required, they will still be encouraged, especially for individuals who are not yet fully vaccinated. According to the CDC’s most recent guidelines, based on COVID-19 community levels, people can wear a mask based on personal preference, informed by personal level of risk. People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask.
“We are excited that … we can transition back to our regular operations. This pandemic has taught us the importance of looking out for our community’s health and safety,” Mayor Allen Brown said. “It’s my genuine hope that we, as a community, continue to watch out for each other.”
In addition to eliminating the face mask requirement in city buildings, the City Council also approved council meetings to return to normal operations. This includes modifying seating to allow more members of the public to attend, adding public comment back to the City Council meeting agendas, and allowing the city manager, city clerk and city attorney to return to their normal seating upon the dais.
The Hinesville City Council meetings will continue to be livestreamed to the City’s Facebook page. The next regularly scheduled City Council meeting will take place on Thursday, March 17, at 3 p.m. in City Hall, located at E.M. L. King Jr. Drive.
As the COVID-19 pandemic is fluid and everchanging, the city will continue to monitor its impacts on the community and adjust its policies accordingly.