South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a press release on Tuesday that Columbia’s school mask mandate violates state law and “should be rescinded.” In a letter (pdf) addressed to Columbia Mayor Stephen Benjamin and Columbia City Council, Wilson said, if the mandate isn’t rescinded, “the city will be subject to appropriate legal actions to enjoin their enforcement.” Wilson gave the mayor and council a deadline of Friday, Aug. 13 to comply. Benjamin had declared a state of emergency in the state capital on Wednesday, triggered by Prisma Health Children’s Hospital in Columbia reporting that it had reached a “strained capacity” of children being diagnosed with COVID-19. The Columbia City Council subsequently ratified the state of emergency during an emergency meeting the next day, mandating masks for all faculty, staff, visitors, and children in public and private schools, and daycares that instruct children from ages 2 to 14. Benjamin …