Council renews measures to fight virus

Adopted ordinance continues emergency declaration

Simpsonville, S.C. — As part of the ongoing battle against the current global pandemic, Simpsonville City Council passed on Friday an ordinance that keeps in place measures to help prevent the spread of Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Council voted 7-0 at a special-called meeting to adopt Emergency Ordinance 2020-03, which continues the state of emergency declaration, enables Council to conduct meetings electronically, directs the city administrator to provide public access to meetings via the internet and allows the administrator to cancel public events and close public facilities. 

A recorded version of the meeting can be found on the City of Simpsonville YouTube Channel, via which the meeting was live streamed.

The ordinance adopted on Friday includes only provisions that Council had already approved in the previous two emergency ordinances that it passed in the spring. Emergency Ordinance 2020-02, which Council adopted in May, expires over the weekend.

Community Relations Specialist Justin Campbell said the unanimous vote in favor of the ordinance shows City Council is committed to taking appropriate and proactive steps to keep public health and safety the top priority in Simpsonville.

"Council wants to both meet safely without contributing to spread of the virus and ensure the public has access to Council," Campbell said. "Council recognizes the pandemic is a fluid situation about which we are learning more and more every day. The ordinance passed by Council gives the City the tools to adapt when needed."

Passage of a third emergency ordinance in Simpsonville comes at a time when cases of COVID-19 are increasing in Greenville County and South Carolina. 

Council will hold a regularly scheduled business meeting on Tuesday via an online meeting service at 6:30 p.m.

For more information, please contact Community Relations Specialist Justin Campbell at jcampbell@simpsonville.com.