Manning to adopt curfew restrictions amid coronavirus

The City of Manning will be under a nightly curfew starting tonight in response to ongoing efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Manning City Council declared a state of emergency within the city on Wednesday to go into effect Thursday, restricting public activities during the curfew between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Exceptions are made for people commuting to and from work and those seeking health care services.

According to a memo from Mayor Julia Nelson, also exempted from the curfew, which South Carolina’s major cities have put into place, are police officers, firefighters, active duty military, health care providers and public works and utility workers employed by a public utility, the City of Manning, Clarendon County, the state of South Carolina and the U.S.

All city facilities except the Manning Police Department continue to be closed to public access, including city parks.

City services and offices are accessible by phone Monday-Thursday between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. City Hall will be closed on Friday until further notice but can be reached at (803) 435-8477.

The city is asking utility customers to pay their water bill online or leave payment in the night deposit box located on the North Mill Street side of the city building (cash should be exact change, or additional money will be applied as an account credit).

Trash collection will continue on a normal schedule. Other sanitation and utility services will operate on a modified schedule. Debris pickup will be on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Complete utility payments at www.cityofmanning.org. The city will not apply late payment penalties, suspend or disconnect water services during the state of emergency.