As COVID-19 cases in the Lowcountry rise, some municipalities have responded by canceling December's large-scale holiday events like parades and tree lightings.
Others have pushed forward with the annual traditions, despite state health warnings to limit crowds and gatherings.
Some have announced events for the new year that would host thousands of attendees, such as the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition.
That's because each municipality in South Carolina has the ability to set its own pandemic-era event rules as long as those planning to have more than 250 guests get approval from the Governor's Office first.
That stamp of approval is determined by an online application hosted by the state Department of Commerce. Of the more than 1,100 events submitted for approval this year, fewer than 100 have been rejected.
Among the list of greenlighted events are gun shows, youth softball tournaments and MMA fights. The Murrells Inlet Boiled Peanut World Championship and Summerville's Flowertown Festival also make the list, the latter slated for March with the expectation of more than 10,000 attendees.
Four pages of questions make up the online form, including queries about an estimated attendance range, social-distancing protocols, face mask requirements, touchless pay options, disinfectant purchases and a coronavirus contraction plan.
Some rules are set in stone with no wiggle room. The number of event attendees for an indoor gathering can't exceed 50 percent of the fire marshal occupancy, for instance, while the number of event attendees for an outdoor gathering can't exceed 1,212 people per acre.
At the end of the form, the event organizer must sign off on the following statement:
"I acknowledge and understand that hosting a large event during the COVID-19 pandemic carries the risk of patrons and attendees catching and transmitting COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. Therefore, with this application, I certify that I will be taking all reasonable measures to mitigate the danger that my event may pose."
Approved event applications then go to local governments. For the city of Charleston, that means a special events committee that has added a COVID-19 review board, featuring a medical professional and city planners.
According to Innovation Chief Tracy McKee, the city was seeing a flurry of submittals leading up to the holiday season, but most decided on their own to go virtual or pivot creatively to reduce crowd numbers. Events like SEWE are too far out to determine if they'll be granted an official stamp of approval just yet, McKee said, but have been given the preliminary green light to keep on planning.
"We’re not saying no, because we don’t know what it’s even going to look like next week, but we've been clear about the fact that we can pull the plug at any time if we feel like it's in best interest of public health," McKee said.
Everything goes back to the city's reopening plan, which includes four phases, determined by a variety of factors from hospital occupancy to number of cases and deaths.
Charleston is in Phase 3, but McKee said if it moves back to Phase 2, that effectively will cancel all special events in the pipeline.
"We’re using the best data and guidance from medical professionals," McKee said. "Any time we’ve had to say no, I think people are, of course, disappointed but they ultimately understand."
The Lowcountry Oyster Festival falls to Charleston County's jurisdiction, which granted Boone Hall a special-events permit with blanket approval so operators don't have to go through the regular permitting process every time there is an event on the property.
But because of the surge in coronavirus cases in mid-December, the Charleston Restaurant Foundation decided to postpone the Jan. 31 event.
"We appreciate the community’s understanding and continued support of this important charity event," said Foundation President Jonathan Kish. "We look forward to sharing updates about the rescheduled Festival."
As for the Flowertown Festival, that falls to the city of Summerville, where processes are similar to the town of Mount Pleasant.
Those rules are simple: Each municipality has its own special-event application, but matters of COVID-19 are determined by the Governor's Office form.
"Typically, by the time an application is filed for anything more complicated than a standard film shoot, block party or other simple event, our office has spoken to applicants and helped them assess viability and problem-solve," Town of Mount Pleasant's special events manager Nicole Harvey said.
Mount Pleasant's holiday parade, one of the few in the area to still take place this year, doesn't go through the permitting process since it's the town's own event.
