Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Sept. 27
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in South Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases near 142,000
At least 141,909 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina, and 3,144 have died, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Sunday reported 569 new cases of the virus, down from 639 the day before.
For more than two weeks, fewer than 1,000 daily cases have been reported in South Carolina. The DHEC projects 4,066 new cases will be reported during the upcoming week.
Three deaths were reported Sunday.
As of Sunday, DHEC says 734 patients are in South Carolina hospitals with COVID-19, including 179 in intensive care and 108 on ventilators.
The DHEC on Sunday reported a positive test rate of 13.8%, up from 9.9% the day before. Health officials have said that number should be 5% or lower to slow the spread of the virus.
Mayor warns COVID-19 is ‘no joke,’ urges mask use
Irmo Mayor Barry Walker is warning that the coronavirus is “no joke” after he and his wife, Susan, tested positive and are recovering.
He was diagnosed early this month and said the virus has taken its toll on him.
“This virus is brutal. It wipes you of energy,” he told The State in an interview Sunday. “I couldn’t move for four or five days. I barely could lift my head.”
Walker was exposed to the virus in his home after his wife tested positive.
He said wearing a mask in public has helped the situation and urged everyone to do so. He said he’s proud Irmo is one of several Midlands municipalities to have a mask mandate.
“Going to a football game, to a bar, or out in public without a mask is not safe. It will put you in the grave,” Walker said. “Wear masks until they come out with a vaccine that works to stay safe. Corona does not discriminate.”
Charter school enrollment surges
An unprecedented number of South Carolina students have enrolled in charter schools during the pandemic.
More than 14,000 new students have enrolled in charter schools across the state since last school year ended, bringing the total to 40,000 as of this week, The State reported Sunday. Another 40,000 families are on waiting lists.
Virtual charter schools account for nearly two-thirds of the year’s growth.
The bumps many traditional schools experienced while transitioning to online learning during the coronavirus pandemic drove many parents toward charter schools.
“This is really a transformative year for public education in South Carolina, to see parents taking action in this way,” Chris Neeley, superintendent of the South Carolina Public Charter School District, told The State. “We’ve never seen this before.”
Absentee voting witness requirement nixed again
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond has reinstated a ruling by a South Carolina federal judge that did away with the witness requirement for absentee voting in the state.
U.S. District Judge Michelle Childs on Sept. 18 prohibited the S.C. Election Commission from enforcing the requirement that anyone voting absentee have a witness sign the envelope to make it easier to vote by mail during the coronavirus pandemic.
That ruling was overturned Thursday by a three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond.
But on Friday, the Court of Appeals reversed and reinstated Childs’ order.
“It’s an interesting and a positive step,” South Carolina Democratic Party chairman Trav Robertson told The State. “We believe that the witness signature line is not only a hindrance to people being able to cast their ballots but it’s also, you know, a throwback to a bygone era in the South. But at the end of the day, we just hope that there will be some clarity as not to confuse people.”
Claire Robinson, spokeswoman for the state GOP, told The State “we don’t comment on ongoing legal matters.”
COMET drivers test positive
Two COMET bus drivers have tested positive for COVID-19 less than two weeks after a third tested positive.
The drivers are quarantined and the buses they drove were taken out of service and sanitized.
The drivers drove fixed routes 61, 11, 83L/84 and 401/45. The evening split on route 801, on Broad River Road, was also affected. Both drivers last worked Sept. 17 before calling out sick.
This story was originally published September 27, 2020 at 10:38 AM.
