McMaster orders quarantine for some SC visitors, still ‘no’ on stay-at-home rule
Anyone coming into South Carolina from New York state and several other hot spots of coronavirus infections must quarantine themselves for 14 days upon arrival, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster said in a new executive order Friday.
And McMaster again said he sees no reason to issue a mandatory order for the state’s residents to stay home or shelter-in-place, contrasting recent actions taken by local S.C. governments which have raised questions about whether those local rules are legal and whether the governor should issue one himself.
With his mandatory order for visitors, which comes with criminal penalties, McMaster took a stronger position than on Wednesday, when he tweeted a request for “all out of state visitors to South Carolina planning a stay of two or more nights (to) self quarantine for two weeks immediately upon arrival.”
McMaster said the mandatory quarantine order applies to anyone coming into South Carolina — whether visitors or S.C. residents — from New York state, New Jersey, Connecticut and New Orleans, which have been identified as major centers of COVID-19 infections.
“We hope that our visitors will be as responsible as the people of South Carolina have been in following the recommendations and requirements,” McMaster said at a Friday afternoon news conference. ”This is a requirement that has the force of law.”
There will be a criminal penalty of up to 30 days in jail or a $1,000 fine for those who fail to comply with the two-week quarantine order, McMaster said. McMaster did not specify how the order would be enforced.
More than 44,700 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in New York as of Friday afternoon, and 519 people in the state have died of the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 8,800 cases have been confirmed in New Jersey. The two states have reported more coronavirus infections than anywhere else in the United States.
Connecticut has reported more than 1,000 cases of coronavirus, and the city of New Orleans has more than 1,100 cases as of Friday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins.
In South Carolina, there are 539 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Friday afternoon, a number that is growing daily. At least 13 South Carolinians have died of the virus.
As state health officials shared the updated virus figures Friday, McMaster stood by his refusal to issue a statewide shelter-in-place or stay-home order, even as Charleston, Columbia and the state of North Carolina have ordered residents to stay in their homes except to conduct essential business.
“If everyone would do the things that we’ve suggested from this podium and otherwise, we would be in great shape,” McMaster said in response to a question about whether he would order residents to stay home. “South Carolinians are following these recommendations and suggestions.”
Short of a shelter-in-place order, McMaster has thus far banned gatherings of more than three people outside of homes, closed public schools through at least the end of April, and ordered restaurants and bars to cease dine-in service.
McMaster said he has no plans to restrict the number of people that can shop in grocery stores at the same time, adding that some of those businesses have enacted hours for seniors to shop while practicing social distancing, staying at least six feet away from other people in an effort to prevent the spread of illness.
Though Charleston and Columbia city leaders passed nearly identical ordinances this week urging residents to stay home and non-essential businesses to close, the state Attorney General’s Office issued a legal opinion Friday questioning the constitutionality of those local orders.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhat you should know about the coronavirus
The coronavirus is spreading in the United States. Officials are urging people to take precautions to avoid getting sick, and to avoid spreading the disease if they do contract it.
Click the drop-down icon on this card for more on the virus and what you should do to keep yourself and those around you healthy.
What is coronavirus?
Coronavirus is an infection of the respiratory system similar to the flu. Coronaviruses are a class of viruses that regularly cause illnesses among adults and children, but this outbreak has spawned a new disease called COVID-19, a particularly harsh respiratory condition that can lead to death.
Health officials believe COVID-19 spread from animals to humans somewhere in China. It spreads among humans by physical person-to-person contact, including via coughs. That’s why health officials urge sick individuals to avoid contact with other people.
For more information, visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms are similar to the flu and include fever, coughing and shortness of breath.
How can I stop the spread of the coronavirus?
Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, and cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
If you develop symptoms similar to the coronavirus, you should seek medical attention. Stay home from work or school and avoid contact with others. It can take up to 14 days after coming into contact with the virus to develop symptoms.
COVID-19 is a new condition and there’s much about the disease we still don’t understand. For now, taking precautions is the best way to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 4:45 PM.