Gov. McMaster: SC not changing coronavirus plan after WHO declares ‘pandemic’
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said the state would not be changing the state’s strategy when it comes to combating the coronarivus in the wake of the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 — the disease caused by the coronavirus — a global pandemic.
Schools and government offices across the state should stay open, and large events should not be canceled, McMaster said during a press conference with reporters Wednesday, adding that he himself will be participating in a Saint Patrick’s Day parade in Greenville this weekend.
“There remains no cause for public alarm in South Carolina,” McMaster said.
South Carolina had two confirmed and eight presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday afternoon. Most of those cases are concentrated in Camden.
Across the United States, more than 1,000 cases of the coronavirus have been identified. Worldwide, more than 121,000 cases have been identified, causing the World Health Organization to call the disease a pandemic.
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“We’re following the advice, instructions and leadership of health authorities in our state,” McMaster said. “The World Health Organization deals with the world as a whole, not individual countries. The CDC has declared no such thing in the United States.”
McMaster said he was not concerned with the influx of people into the state for big events at this point in time.
“We need to do some basic things that have been recommended repeatedly from the beginning,” McMaster said. “I’ll say it again. Cover your nose. Cover your mouth. Wash your hands all day long. If you’re sick, don’t leave home.”
McMaster said he also would not be asking officials to take any additional precautions — such has putting up signs warning about the coronavirus or increasing the amount of hand sanitizer available — at the S.C. State House, which sees traffic from hundreds of staff members, legislators, lobbyists and visitors every say.
“At this point, I don’t think signs need to go up,” McMaster said. “I think everybody knows the coronavirus is in our state as it is in other states.”
This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 5:34 PM.
