McMaster promises news ‘soon’ on more SC reopenings, says COVID-19 cases have plateaued
Gov. Henry McMaster said on Thursday he plans to announce his decision on whether to allow restaurants to re-open for dine-in service “soon.”
“I’m confident we’ll have news, stay-tuned,” he said. “We’re moving as quickly, but as safely as we can, and we hope to have some announcements soon.”
McMaster said he believes cases in the state have already plateaued, though health officials have warned of a second wave of coronavirus cases if state’s re-open shops, restaurants and parks too soon and without precautions in place.
In March, McMaster stopped allowing restaurants to offer dine-in service, limiting them to takeout and deliveries in effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
A decision to allow businesses to re-open is being mulled over as the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Thursday announced an addition 220 COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 6,095. On Wednesday, state officials announced 130 new cases.
McMaster attributes the higher amount of cases to increased testing throughout the state.
“We’ll have some days go up, some days go back down,” he said.
The S.C. Restaurant and Lodging Association has called for restaurants to be allowed to have outdoor dining, with proper social distancing, by May 4. The group has called for indoor dining to be allowed by May 18, giving time for restaurants to rehire staff and order needed food and supplies.
Businesses have been financially impacted around the country. South Carolina is no different. In Columbia, longtime fixtures Yesterdays and Uncle Louie’s have shuttered its doors due to struggles during the pandemic.
McMaster, who has said he’s looking at the data and science to guide his decisions about when to close and reopen the economy, said Thursday that he is weighing other factors too, such as the recommendations of businesses that are devising plans for opening back up safely.
“Everyone has a cell phone these days,” the governor said. “If a particular business is doing well or not doing well, in terms of making the public (feel) confident and safe in entering, then then the whole world will know about it quickly. People are not going to go to a place that isn’t practicing the right type of safety.”
As part of the White House guidelines for reopening the economy is the need for a robust contact tracing program. McMaster said DHEC is building up those capabilities as contact tracers are being hired and trained.
“We’ve learned a lot about contact tracing,” McMaster said. “That’s not something anyone can do. It takes some training, and it also takes some trust of the one asking the questions to the one being asked the questions. All of those are parts of the equation of having a robust system, and we intend to have one.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2020 at 5:40 PM.
