Labor Day could cause an influx in COVID-19 cases, SC’s top epidemiologist warns
The state’s lead epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell warned Friday that South Carolina could once again see another rebound in positive coronavirus cases if residents don’t practice safety measures during Labor Day weekend next month.
On a conference call with reporters Friday, Bell warned that the rebound could mimic those daily case counts South Carolina reported after Memorial Day and the Fourth of July — two of the largest increase in disease activity the state had recorded.
“Public health officials, including myself, continue to have those concerns, because people go out and celebrate,” without following COVID-19 protocols, Bell said stressing staying six feet apart, frequently washing hands and wearing masks.
“There are ways that we can do these things much, much, much more safely than we have in previous holidays,” Bell said.
Before Memorial Day Weekend in late May, South Carolina logged well below 1,000 COVID-19 cases per day, sometimes reporting days with only more than 200 cases. But after the holiday weekend, cases in South Carolina skyrocketed, with the state’s health agency reporting daily counts of more than 1,000 positive COVID-19 cases through the end of June.
By the Fourth of July weekend, cases once against surged to well above 1,000 cases nearly every day until Aug. 10.
“When we see these gatherings, and the majority of people are not wearing masks and they are not physically distancing, it’s those previous experiences that cause me concern with the upcoming holiday,” Bell said.
This story was originally published August 21, 2020 at 3:59 PM.
