Gov. Henry McMaster will extend state of emergency. What does that mean for SC?
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to issue a new state of emergency regarding the coronavirus — his third since the pandemic began.
The announcement will likely come at a press conference on Monday, when the current state of emergency is set to expire. By law, a state of emergency can only run for 15 days before a new one must be implemented.
McMaster spoke to reporters Sunday as he and other state officials were at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport to greet the arrival of a Boeing Dreamlifter carrying 1.3 million masks from China, which will be distributed to South Carolina’s frontline healthcare workers treating patients with COVID-19.
“We’re not out of this yet,” McMaster said. “We went into this in a smart way with targeted hotspots, so we do not have the burden that some other states have in business closure, but we’re still facing a very serious disease and contagion.
“The main thing we have to do is make sure when we come out of this is to maintain the social distancing,” he continued. “All of the policies that have been adopted around the different states is to enforce and encourage social distancing.... If we are smart we can come out of this quickly but we must do so safely.”
Renewing the state of emergency will allow McMaster to continue issuing certain executive orders he deems appropriate to contain the pandemic and keep South Carolinians safe, including stay-at-home and work-at-home orders, which have not yet been lifted.
According to McMaster’s spokesman, Brian Symmes, “all of the executive orders stay in effect with the new declaration of emergency, but the governor has the authority to rescind individual orders at any given time and will do so if and when it is safe for the people of South Carolina.”
Last week, McMaster announced the “Accelerate SC” initiative, the framework by which the state will reopen and stimulate its economy.
He already has loosened some restrictions on businesses around the state. Under a new order, department stores can reopen, along with other retail businesses deemed “nonessential” such as sporting goods stores; book, music, shoe and craft stores; jewelry stores; floral shops; and other luggage and leather goods stores.
Stores, however, still must abide by previous mandates that limit occupancy to five customers per 1,000 square feet, or 20 percent of posted occupancy limits — whichever is lower.
The governor also will now allow local jurisdictions to decide whether to reopen public access to beaches and waterways.
As of Sunday, there were 5,490 coronavirus cases in the state and 174 deaths.
South Carolina will see about 750 new cases of coronavirus per week until early May, according to estimates from SC Department of Health and Environmental Control officials. While some models show that South Carolina has passed its peak number of cases, state officials say there is only evidence of a flattening of the curve, not a consistent drop-off.
“Situation has changed from the beginning,” McMaster said. “Lot of things to be undone. We will continue with the state of emergency until we know longer need it. Main thing is still and you see this from around the states and the president advises we must maintain social distancing.”
This story was originally published April 26, 2020 at 3:18 PM.
