McMaster shows faith in SC by delaying a coronavirus lockdown. Let’s prove him right

When the global coronavirus pandemic began to approach South Carolina’s doorstep, Gov. Henry McMaster failed to display the proper sense of urgency demanded of a state’s top executive.

The folly of McMaster initial approach of blustering denial regarding COVID-19 is beyond debate now that South Carolina is set to surpass 300 cases. And that will always be an indelible blot on McMaster’s legacy as a governor.

But since that regrettable early period McMaster has shown leadership that has been responsible and judicious in directing the state’s fight against the coronavirus.

Such leadership has been evident in McMaster’s gradual steps to increase protocols to limit the potential of South Carolinians to expose each other to the virus — the latest coming Monday in the form of an order giving law enforcement greater power to break up groups of more than three people — while continuing to hold off imposing a formal lockdown of our state with a “shelter in place” order.

As the battle against the coronavirus continues across our state, the time may soon come for McMaster to change course and emulate other governors who have put stay-in-place orders in effect in their states. And if it does, McMaster must not hesitate to take that draconian step. He must take it to protect the welfare of our state and our citizens.

But as long as it is ethically responsible from a public health standpoint to allow South Carolinians to cling to the rapidly dwindling fabric of “normal” life that still remains during this troubling, unsettling time — and to do so without compromising the state’s ability to wage an aggressive and comprehensive war against COVID-19 — McMaster’s deliberate, measured approach is the right one.

Indeed, McMaster put the challenge in appropriately plainspoken terms in a recent tweet confirming that — as of now — he was not considering a shelter in place order for South Carolinians. “If we all work together, act responsibly and take necessary precautions, lives can be saved now,” McMaster stated in his tweet.

In a very real sense, then, McMaster has put his faith in South Carolinians to do the right thing on our own to fight the coronavirus while maintaining some form of personal mobility.

And it’s up to us as South Carolinians to live up to McMaster’s confidence in our sense of responsibility.

We must prove that we can meet this moment.

We can prove it by not indulging in the shameful selfishness we’ve seen depicted elsewhere — from clueless beachgoers in Florida who defiantly disregarded orders to not congregate in large groups to mobs of irresponsible British citizens who freely ignored social distancing guidelines and flooded into overwhelmed seaside villages.

We can prove it by stepping up our willingness to dramatically limit where we go and how often we go out, and by rigorously adhering to policies that communities across South Carolina have put in place — like Columbia’s nightly 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew— to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

In short, we have the power to prove to others that by not rushing to impose a shelter in place order on South Carolina, McMaster has shown a justifiable belief in the goodwill of South Carolinians — rather than a risky leap of faith in it.

Let’s prove Gov. McMaster right.

This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 8:27 AM.