Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on May 16

We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in South Carolina. Check back for updates.

Latest coronavirus numbers

At least 8,661 people in South Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 380 have died, according to state health officials.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 254 new cases of the virus and no additional deaths Friday.

Patients who died were residents of Sumter, Cherokee, Clarendon, Fairfield, Florence and Pickens counties, according to health officials.

Worldwide, more than 4.6 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported and more than 310,000 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 1.4 million cases and 88,000 deaths have been reported in the United States.

Governor highlights face shields

Gov. Henry McMaster visited a 3D manufacturing company with a packaging warehouse in West Columbia on Friday where face shields for healthcare workers and consumers are being produced.

Zverse has manufactured more than three million face shields for use in healthcare settings over the last three weeks.

“This new kind of shield gives everyone one more option, one more way to accomplish the mission to be safe and still get their work done,” McMaster said while visiting the facility.

The shields are being used on a trial basis in restaurants, salons and fitness studios where customers and employees sometimes come into close contact. They sell for about $20 each, The State reported.

Seniors protest graduation plans

A group of high school seniors marched past restaurants in downtown Beaufort on Saturday to push for a more traditional in-person graduation ceremony, The Island Packet reported.

“I think we all deserve a proper celebration,” Beaufort High School senior Rachelle Martz said. “Everyone before us has had a proper celebration. I understand we are in the middle of a pandemic, but if 70 other school districts in the state can do this, then so can we.”

Beaufort County previously decided to host virtual graduations and let students pick up diplomas during drive-through events at their schools.

Columbia suggests reopening rules

A Columbia city task force assigned to develop reopening strategies for the city made some suggestions Friday that the group recommends be implemented statewide, The State reported.

“Some of our committee’s recommendations were things we felt needed to be on a broader level and beyond just the city limits, because they’re really things that need to be handled throughout the community,” Columbia budget director Missy Caughman said.

Suggestions included that customers be required to wear masks when at a business, that employers be required to provide workers with protective gear, and that sick workers be guaranteed sick time off without the risk of being fired or let go.

Evictions allowed starting Friday

After a two month pause on evictions, landlords can once again file to remove tenants starting Friday, The State reported, and local housing attorneys have concerns.

The temporary moratorium was put in place to ensure renters wouldn’t find themselves without a home amid the coronavirus pandemic. But measures taken to slow the spread of the virus, such as social distancing and business closures, have left some tenants in tricky financial situations, unable to pay rent that will soon become due.

“There were people that had enough saved up to pay their April rent but couldn’t pay their May rent,” housing attorney Nicole Paluzzi told the outlet.

High school coaches: Football will be back

The State asked high school football coaches across South Carolina if they think their teams will be playing again in the fall, and of the 71 who responded, all but one said yes.

While optimistic that football will return this year, half said they doubt the season will start on time, according to the outlet.

“Playing on Aug. 21 would be tough,” River Bluff coach Blair Hardin said. “I think we are looking to see what college and NFL are going to do. Once it is announced what is going to happen, every coach will definitely just have to adjust. The biggest thing is, there are a lot of unknowns.”

State expecting lots of mail-in ballots

A temporary change in state law means more people will be able to vote by mail-in ballot in South Carolina’s June primary election. Elections officials have already gotten almost 100,000 requests for mail-in ballots for the primary, The State reports. Normally about 60,000 people vote by mail-in ballot in state primaries, officials said.

Lawmakers made the change to allow more mail-in voting for the primary because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic and a shortage of poll workers, The State reports. The temporary change is set to expire before the general election in November.

32,000 more file for unemployment

More than 32,000 people filed new unemployment claims in South Carolina last week, The State reports.

The number of new filings has been dropping in recent weeks. More than 485,000 people have filed for unemployment in South Carolina since the coronavirus pandemic forced many sectors of the economy to shut down, according to new data from the Department of Employment and Workforce.

The state is now taking steps to reopen, including allowing limited indoor dining at restaurants and opening up hotels and resorts in areas that depend on the summer tourist season.

Parole hearings will resume in June

Parole hearings haven’t been held in two months, The State reported, but the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services will start them again June 2.

Hearings will be handled virtually, the department said, and those missed in March and April have been rescheduled.

This story was originally published May 16, 2020 at 8:05 AM.