Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on April 27
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases top 5,600
At least 5,613 people in South Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 177 have died as of Monday evening, according to state health officials.
The state Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 142 new cases and three deaths Monday, after reporting 237 new cases and eight deaths the day before.
DHEC has said the number of actual cases is likely much higher than what’s been reported.
More than 3 million cases of COVID-19 and 209,000 deaths have been reported worldwide, with more than 980,000 cases and 55,000 deaths reported in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins University.
State of emergency extended
Gov. Henry McMaster renewed his state of emergency for South Carolina on Monday, just as the current one is set to expire.
States of emergency only last for 15 days after they’re issued unless a new one is declared.
This will be the third state of emergency declared since the start of the pandemic and will allow the governor to continue issuing executive orders, such as stay-at-home and work-from-home orders.
All of the governor’s current executive orders will remain in effect under the new state of emergency, but they are able to be rescinded at any time.
Lawmaker wants salons, barbers back open
At least four South Carolina lawmakers Monday are calling for the governor to reopen barber shops and salons, The State reports.
Reps. Jonathon Hill of Anderson; Stewart Jones of Laurens; and Josiah Magnuson and Steven Long, both of Spartanburg, are planning to send the governor a letter asking him to let hairstylists go back to work.
“I’ve been in tears over these calls,” Jones said during a press conference Monday. “I mean, you get calls from people who have never asked the government for any assistance in their entire life. They don’t want to ask the government for assistance. They want their freedom. They want to be able to run their business and run their lives.”
Salons and barber shops, which require close contact between people, have been closed since April 1.
Clemson cancels summer camps
Clemson University is canceling all in-person summer programs, including academic and athletic camps, the school said. “Any reopening decisions will occur in phases and involve daily monitoring of indicators to determine if the University can move forward, hold steady, or revert to a previous phase,” the school said in a news release.
The university said it hopes to get back to in-person classes for the fall semester, but only if it’s safe to have students back on campus, The State reports.
Prison employees test positive
Fifteen employees at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the Department of Corrections. No inmates at Broad River have tested positive, The State reports.
Nine inmates in state prisons have tested positive for COVID-19, the department said.
Unemployment fund running low
South Carolina’s fund to pay unemployment benefits could run out of money by the end of the year as the number of new jobless claims hits record levels, The State reports. The fund is paying out about $70 million each week for unemployment claims, officials said.
“We’re gonna run out of money,” state workforce director Dan Ellzey told officials last week. South Carolina would need a loan from the federal government to cover the shortfall when the unemployment fund runs dry.
Masks delivered from China
South Carolina received 1.3 million face masks from China on Sunday.
The surgical masks, which came from “trusted manufacturers,” will be used by health care workers at Prisma medical facilities across the state.
A spokesperson told The State that the masks will last Prisma about a month, as it has about 30,000 employees.
This story was originally published April 27, 2020 at 7:03 AM.
