Cayce implements curfew to combat coronavirus pandemic

Cayce’s city council on Tuesday voted unanimously to set a citywide curfew in effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

The curfew begins Wednesday, April 8, and will be in effect from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Travel within city limits is restricted during those times except to those going to work or for health care reasons.

Those who violate the ordinance can be charged with a misdemeanor.

The measure comes a day after S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster issued his most stringent executive order yet to combat the spread of the virus, requiring people to stay at home if they are not at work, tending to essential needs, visiting family or exercising.

“As many cities and towns across our state continue to face uncertainty, one thing remains the same: the health and well-being of our Cayce citizens is our top priority,” said Cayce City Manager Tracy Hegler in a Facebook post. “The implementation of this curfew reinforces Governor McMaster’s ‘Home or Work’ Order and provides for an added layer of safety for our citizens by deterring unnecessary activity.”

Cayce is located in Lexington and Richland counties, a region that is among the hardest hit by COVID-19 throughout the state, according data from the Department of Health and Environmental Control. As of Tuesday afternoon, the state had more than 2,400 confirmed cases and at least 51 people have died. Health officials, however, estimate that more than 16,000 could have the virus.

Cayce’s city council had previously passed a resolution urging McMaster to implement a “stay at home” order similar to ones enacted by states across the country as coronavirus cases and deaths continued to rise. It then sought residents’ feedback, as it weighed passing such a measure on its own, before McMaster’s order.

This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 9:32 PM.