§15-5-30. State of emergency; state of preparedness; essential workers.

(a) During a state of emergency or state of preparedness, set forth by the Governor, employees of public utilities, cable television operators, telecommunications carriers, and publicly or privately owned water and sewer systems shall be considered essential workers to ensure that these services can continue to operate or be restored.

(b) Contractors, vendors, and suppliers of public utilities, cable television operators, telecommunications carriers, and publicly or privately owned water and sewer systems of the state shall be considered essential workers to aid the utilities and telecommunications services in continuation of services to its customers.

(c) The provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this section apply only and specifically for the purpose of ensuring that public utilities, cable television operators, telecommunications carriers, and publicly or privately owned water and sewer systems can continue to operate or be restored and may not be construed or interpreted in any way to have any relevance or meaning beyond this specific purpose.