Starting tomorrow, Monday, March 23, all Beaufort County buildings will be closed to the public until further notice to protect the health of citizens, visitors, and employees, and minimize opportunities to spread COVID-19 in our community.

This is an update to closings previously announced last week here.

County officials remind residents there are convenient ways to conduct business with the County during this public health crisis. Many services by the Assessor, Auditor, Business License, Planning and Zoning, Treasurer, and other County offices are accessible online, by phone, fax, or through the mail. Visit the County website at www.beaufortcountysc.gov and select “Government” for a department listing.

Also, there will be bins outside of the County Administration Building (Robert Smalls Complex, 100 Ribaut Road, Beaufort) for citizens to drop off and pick up paperwork such as business license applications, permit applications, and plans for review.  The County will invoice for any associated fees for submission that normally require immediate payment. Please do not deposit cash or checks in these bins, which will be monitored and emptied daily so that all paperwork can be processed accordingly.
 
All Convenience Centers remain open according to their regular operating schedules for now. Emergency and public safety services remain available as usual. 

For questions regarding operations of State agencies operating from Beaufort County buildings, please contact those agencies directly:

SC Department of Health and Environmental Control
https://www.scdhec.gov/health/health-public-health-clinics

SC Department of Juvenile Justice
https://djj.sc.gov/

SC Department of Social Services
https://dss.sc.gov/

SC Healthy Connections
https://www.scdhhs.gov/

SC Probation, Parole & Pardon Services
https://www.dppps.sc.gov/

IMPORTANT NOTES
County Business License Renewals - Tax returns and payments due April 1-June 1 will now be due June 1, 2020. Penalty and interest will not be charged if payment is made by June 1. This includes South Carolina Individual Income Taxes, Corporate Income Taxes, Sales and Use Tax, Admissions Tax, and other taxes filed and paid with the SCDOR. The Business License Department is automatically applying this tax relief for all applicable returns and payments.  For more information about the department, visit https://www.beaufortcountysc.gov/business-license/.

Operations at the Hilton Head Island Airport and Lady’s Island Airport remain available. Travelers should contact their airline carrier for questions about flight schedules. Information on the operating status of the nation’s major airports can be found at www.fly.faa.gov. Inquiries regarding flight information at Hilton Head Island Airport should be sent directly to airlines.

Please continue to follow only official government sources of information.

In addition to County operations updates, the County’s COVID-19 web portal includes the following informational areas – health, help for families, and resources for business: https://www.beaufortcountysc.gov/topics/coronavirus

Beaufort County Government
https://www.beaufortcountysc.gov
https://www.facebook.com/beaufortcountysc
https://twitter.com/bftcountysc
https://beaufortcountysc.gov/the-county-channel/
https://www.beaufortcountysc.gov/apps/

Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office
https://www.bcso.net/
https://local.nixle.com/beaufort-county-sheriffs-office/

Stay in touch with us.

To sign up for news from Beaufort County Administration, visit:
https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/SCBEAUFORT/subscriber/new?qsp=SCBEAUFORT_2

To send an email to a Beaufort County department, visit us at:
https://apps.beaufortcountysc.gov/feedback/

COUNTY COUNCIL MEETINGS
Beaufort County Council meetings are currently closed to the public.  Citizens are reminded that all County Council and Council committee meetings are live-streamed on our website via The County Channel (https://www.beaufortcountysc.gov/the-county-channel/). Televised meetings are marked with (T) and broadcast on Comcast channel 2, Hargray channels 9 and 113, and Spectrum channel 1304.  Additionally, public comments and public hearing comments are accepted in writing via email to the Clerk to Council at sbrock@bcgov.net or PO Drawer 1228, Beaufort SC 29901. Starting Monday, March 23, citizens can call 843-255-2041 to sign up for public comment participation by phone. Citizens can also comment during the meeting through Facebook Live.

REMINDERS AND HELPFUL LINKS
The chain of command and direction and control during a public health emergency is different than what is exercised during a natural or human-made disaster.  The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is the lead agency.  For general questions about COVID-19, call the DHEC Care Line at 1-855-472-3432. For more information, visit https://www.scdhec.gov/.

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Health Virtual Care is offering free virtual care consultations and screenings to anyone in South Carolina experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms.  New and existing patients should use the promo code COVID19 when logging into the site: https://campaigns.muschealth.org/virtual-care/index.html.  No appointment is necessary.  This service also covers other conditions, such as allergy/hay fever, pink eye, sinus infection, pink eye, sore throat, or the common cold.  Call 843-261-5940 for more information.