Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on March 31
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
Latest coronavirus cases
At least 1,083 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina, and 22 people have died, according to public health officials.
Officials reported four deaths and 158 new cases on Tuesday— the fourth day in a row South Carolina has reported more than 100 new cases as labs clear a backlog of tests.
The hardest-hit counties have been Charleston, with 123 people testing positive, Richland with 135 and Kershaw with 99, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
More than 857,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide with more than 42,000 deaths as of Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 188,000 confirmed cases and more than 3,800 deaths.
Emergency Management website crashes
The S.C. Department of Emergency Management’s website crashed Tuesday evening after too many people clicked on an alert sent to their phones, notifying them that all non-essential businesses have been ordered to close statewide in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus.
“Our website subsequently received 650 hits a second from unique users. Ten times more traffic than any incident we’ve ever activated for, even hurricanes,” the department said in a Facebook post.
USC to lose $40 million
Forced to shut down for the rest of the school year amid the coronavirus outbreak, University of South Carolina stands to lose $20 to $40 million as a result, officials said at a Tuesday board of trustees meeting.
Besides a lack of money coming in, the school is also issuing students refunds for room and board, according to The State.
“We’re looking at the end of spring semester here, plus the summer providing us with some challenges,” Ed Walton, the school’s executive VP for administration, said during the presentation. “An estimated financial impact, it’s hard to figure exactly. It’s somewhere between $20 [million] and $40 million” before USC accounts for money it can save.
McMaster expands restrictions
Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order Tuesday forcing a “bare minimum” of additional businesses to close amid the coronavirus outbreak.
McMaster’s list of businesses now considered non-essential includes some, but not all, entertainment venues, athletic facilities, and various other shops such as nail and hair salons, tattoo parlors and more.
“We must be as aggressive as we can be to stop the spread ... but at the same time, not going too far and destroying businesses and jobs that people are depending on,” McMaster said at an afternoon news conference.
27 inmates released
Kershaw and Richland counties are releasing 27 inmates from jail due to concerns over coronavirus and its potential impact on detainees.
Kershaw is releasing 6 inmates and Richland is releasing 21, according to The State.
The inmates, considered particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, are nonviolent offenders being released on a case-by-case basis, according to The State.
Military bases to stop reporting COVID-19 numbers
The Department of Defense says it will no longer report coronavirus numbers for individual military bases and units.
In South Carolina, “That includes Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, Fort Jackson in Columbia, and the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (Parris Island) and Marine Corps Air Station — both in Beaufort County,” The State reports.
Officials at Fort Jackson, near Columbia, said Monday that 25 more people tested positive for the coronavirus on the base. Two people at the Army base tested positive for the virus last week.
Dozens of hospital staff test positive
More than 30 employees at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston have tested positive for the coronavirus, the hospital confirmed.
MUSC said it is tracking down the patients who may have been in contact with any of the 34 hospital employees diagnosed with COVID-19, The State reports.
Beach accesses, boat ramps shut down
Gov. Henry McMaster has ordered all public beach accesses and boat ramps closed.
The governor said people have continued to gather on South Carolina’s beaches and waterways despite orders not to gather in groups of more than three.
Pressure mounts for statewide order
U.S. House Rep. Joe Cunningham joined a growing number lawmakers pushing the governor to to issue a “shelter in place” order for South Carolina.
A similar order went into effect in North Carolina on Monday.
McMaster so far has resisted issuing an order telling people to stay home, but he has steadily tightened restrictions to keep people from gathering.
A petition on change.org asking the governor to issue a “shelter in place” order has almost 15,000 signatures as of Tuesday morning.
This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 7:30 AM.
