Gov. McMaster to convene public health officials in preparation for coronavirus

S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster has called for a meeting of public health officials to review the state’s emergency plan in preparation for possible cases of coronavirus.

The S.C. Public Health Emergency Plan Committee includes representatives from multiple state agencies, a private physician, a medical examiner and others “as may be considered appropriate,” McMaster’s office said in a news release.

There are currently no cases of coronavirus, formally named COVID-2019, in South Carolina, the release said.

Coronavirus, which began in Wuhan City, China, has now spread to 83,652 people in more than 50 countries, according to a report from the World Health Organization.

There have been no confirmed cases in the southeastern part of the United States, according to a map from the Centers for Disease Control.

So far, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control has been providing tools to staff and training them on how to detect coronavirus, according to the news release.

The meeting will be at S.C. Emergency Operations Center, 2779 Fish Hatchery Road in West Columbia, on Monday, March 2, at 10 a.m.

This story was originally published February 29, 2020 at 11:10 AM.