From staff reports

Beaufort City Council approved an extension of the City’s mask ordinance through Nov. 1 at Council’s Sept. 8 meeting. The ordinance was set to expire on Sept. 15.

Beaufort joins the Town of Bluffton, the Town of Hilton Head, and Beaufort County, all of which recently extended their mask ordinances.

During the meeting, Council members agreed that wearing masks has helped to curtail Covid-19 throughout Beaufort County and in the City, and cited a study from the South Carolina Department of Health &amp; Environmental Control showing that jurisdictions with mask ordinances showed a greater decrease in cases compared to those without.

In measures to continue to help its merchants during the pandemic, City Council agreed to:

Extend temporary outdoor leased spaces for restaurants in downtown Beaufort through Nov. 1.

Extend free parking at the Marina parking lot on Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 1.

Extend a waiver allowing 9 a.m. horse carriage tours through Nov. 1.

City Council also supports a downtown First Friday event on Nov. 6, but declined to close streets on that night. Members determined that there was no way to ensure the number attending would be limited to 250 people, as required under an executive order from Gov. Henry McMaster.&nbsp;