Coronavirus live updates: What to know in South Carolina on March 23
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about coronavirus in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
Latest coronavirus cases
At least 195 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina.
People have tested positive for the virus in 33 out of South Carolina’s 46 counties, with the highest numbers of cases in Kershaw, Richland and Greenville counties.
The positive cases include a hospital employee at the Abbeville Area Medical Center, according to the hospital.
More than 367,000 cases of the COVID-19 virus have been confirmed worldwide with more than 16,100 deaths as of March 23, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 41,500 confirmed cases with at least 471 deaths.
Gatherings bigger than 3 now banned
Gov. Henry McMaster issued an order Monday prohibiting gatherings of more than three people, if they are outside of their homes.
According to The State, McMaster has ordered law enforcement to break up any groups or gatherings that violate the new rule.
This new order does not apply to businesses or employers, The State reported.
Two more dead
Two more South Carolina residents have died due to coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths to five, The State reported.
One patient was from Kershaw County, the other from Clarendon, and both were elderly, according to The State.
School assessments waived
Elementary and middle school students in South Carolina will not have to take state assessment tests this spring, the Myrtle Beach Sun News reported.
South Carolina leaders had asked for a waiver, which the U.S. Department of Education approved Monday.
No shelter-in-place order
Gov. Henry McMaster’s office said Monday a shelter-in-place order is not being considered, The State reported
In response to the coronavirus, some states have put in place restrictive measures that direct residents to stay inside their homes except to go work, shop at grocery stores or conduct some other essential business. But McMaster said no such action is needed in South Carolina, at least for now.
Boeing employee tests positive
A worker at Boeing’s massive campus in North Charleston tested positive for coronavirus, the company confirmed Monday.
“Boeing is providing its full support to a Boeing South Carolina teammate based at our Airport Campus who has tested positive for COVID-19,” Boeing spokeswoman Libba Holland said in a statement to The State. “The teammate is now in quarantine receiving the care and treatment necessary for their recovery.”
Solicitor’s office closes
After an employee at the Richland County Solicitor’s Office tested positive for the coronavirus, officials are closing the office Monday and Tuesday for cleaning, The State reports.
In an email to judges and department heads in the county courthouse, 5th Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson said the person “was in the building during the week of March 9, 2020, and was last in the building on March 16.”
Beach parties moved to sand bars
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster moved to have local and state law enforcement break up beach parties last week, but that didn’t stop some revelers in Beaufort County. They moved their parties to sand bars, The Island Packet reports.
Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling called the partiers “selfish” for gathering in large groups as many in the state follow orders for social distancing to try and slow the spread of the virus.
This story was originally published March 23, 2020 at 7:26 AM.
