Dorchester County Family Court Closed for Remainder of the Week
A Dorchester County Family Court staff member has tested positive for COVID-19. Out of an abundance of caution, Dorchester County Family Court located at the Troy Knight Judicial Center near Summerville will be closed for the remainder of the week for cleaning and sanitizing.
Family Court staff will be available via phone and email, during normal business hours. However, there may be a delayed response due to offsite connectivity issues.
Court Filings will continue to be accepted via email and/or via the drop box near the entrance to the Judicial Center. Note: All filings submitted via the drop box will be quarantined for 48-hours. Once the quarantine period has ended, the filings will be date stamped with the date they were received, and court staff will then process the documents.
All in-person hearings scheduled for the remainder of the week will be re-scheduled for the earliest date available.
As of now, Dorchester County Family Court plans to reopen on Monday, July 20 and all cases scheduled for the week of July 20 will continue as scheduled. Note: The reopening date is subject to change.
Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Continue to Rise
As of 12:00 PM today, Tuesday, July 14 the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Services (SCDHEC) confirmed there are 962 active cases of COVID-19 in Dorchester County.
The total number of cases reported in Dorchester County is 1,669. Cases are removed from SCDHEC’s (current/active) count 14 days after they are confirmed.
The above are only the confirmed case numbers. SCDHEC estimates the true number of cases in Dorchester County to be upwards of 9,884. These numbers will continue to rise if we do not remain vigilant and stop the spread of germs.
Mask Ordinance Remains In Place
Revision- At the Monday, July 6, 2020 County Council Meeting, Council amended the mask ordinance changing the minimum age requirement from five-years-old to eleven-years-old.
At an Emergency County Council Meeting held on Wednesday, July 1, 2020, County Council adopted a Face Covering Ordinance for Unincorporated Dorchester County.
The mask ordinance is effective through Sunday, August 30, 2020, or unless otherwise rescinded or extended by County Council.
The Ordinance Applies to the Following:
- All customers are required to wear face coverings while inside the enclosed area of any retail or food service establishment;
- All persons entering any building open to the public in the County must wear a face covering while inside the building;
- All retail establishments including but not limited to, restaurants, retail stores, salons, barber shops, grocery stores, pharmacies or other buildings open to the public must require their employees to wear a Face Covering at all times while working in areas open to the general public and areas in which interactions with other staff are likely and social distancing of at least six feet cannot be observed;
- All persons when walking in public where maintaining a distance of six (6) feet between other members of the public at all times is not possible.
- While providing or utilizing public transportation including taxis, Uber or Lyft.
- While interacting with people in outdoor spaces, including curbside pickup, delivery and service calls.
Face Coverings Are Not Required:
- In outdoor or unenclosed areas appurtenant to retail or food service
establishments in which social distancing of at least six feet is possible and observed;
- For those who cannot wear a Face Covering due to a medical or behavioral condition;
- For children under 11 years old, provided that adults accompanying children age make reasonable efforts to have children wear face coverings while inside the enclosed area of retail or food service establishments;
- For patrons of food service establishments while they are dining, seated or socially
distanced consuming food and/or beverage;
- In private, individual offices and for employees where they are separated from customer by a plexiglass or glass shield;
- When complying with directions of law enforcement officers;
- In settings where it is not practical or feasible to wear a face covering, including when obtaining or rendering goods or services such as the dentist or swimming;
- While exclusively with members of a family or the same household, and no person other than such family or household is within the same enclosed area;
- Police officers, Firefighters, EMS or other First Responders when it is not practical while engaged in a public safety matter or an emergency nature.
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