By a vote of 9-4 at their regularly scheduled meeting on March 24, the City of Charleston adopted an emergency “Stay at Home” ordinance. This escalation in response to COVID-19 is the first such measure enacted by a South Carolina municipality. The ordinance orders individuals to stay in their homes and prohibits business operations except for “essential services.”

In introducing the ordinance, Mayor Tecklenburg told City Council that the measure is not intended to be punitive or to limit movement to essential services. It is intended to strongly encourage citizens to stay home and to help flatten the curve.

The ordinance will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday March, 26. It is slated to last 14 days.

The list of “Essential Services” included in the ordinance is broad and includes:
– Health care
– Hotels
– Grocery stores
– Hardware stores
– Online retailers
– Child care
– Banks and professional services
– Construction
– Manufacturing

See the ordinance for a comprehensive list of Essential Services.

Also, check guidance from Federal DHS about Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce.