SC Gov. McMaster extends COVID-19 emergency order as new cases, hospitalizations rise
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster extended his COVID-19 emergency order late Wednesday for another 15 days.
It comes as the number of COVID-19 cases in the state have exploded in recent weeks and pushed health systems to the brink.
The state Department of Health and Environmental Control has reported more than 3,000 daily cases four times this month and at least 2,000 daily cases for 20 of the last 21 days.
As of Wednesday, nearly one in five of the state’s inpatients were being treated for COVID-19 and the total number of people hospitalized with the virus was approaching record levels.
More than 261,000 South Carolinians have tested positive for the virus since March and more than 4,600 people have died.
“Following the recent Thanksgiving holiday, the State experienced a significant surge in the number of new cases of COVID-19, and hospitals in South Carolina subsequently reported a corresponding increase in the number of new patients admitted with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19,” part of the order says, adding, “... according to the latest data from the White House Coronavirus Task Force, all forty-six counties in South Carolina are experiencing moderate or high levels of community transmission of COVID-19, with approximately 89% of the State’s counties reporting high levels of community transmission.”
Despite the rise in COVID-19 cases, McMaster, who tested positive for COVID-19 Monday and underwent outpatient treatment, has declined to implement a statewide mask mandate or reimpose any of the restrictions on restaurants and bars that he lifted in October.
The order does, however, extend the governor’s so-called “last call” rule, prohibiting the sale of alcohol past 11 p.m.
McMaster first declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic on March 13, and has since reupped the emergency declaration more than a dozen times, most recently on Dec. 8.
This story was originally published December 24, 2020 at 8:59 AM.