Yes, SC citizens are resilient, Gov. McMaster — and smart enough to know you must act

All across our state the rates of infection for the coronavirus continue to rapidly increase: nowadays it’s not unusual to have 100 or more new cases a day — and nearly every one of the state’s 46 counties has been touched by COVID-19.

All across our state the deaths linked to the coronavirus keep rising — and there’s every reason to fear the numbers will explode in the days and weeks ahead.

All across our state major municipalities — including Columbia and Charleston — have become so alarmed by the scourge of COVID-19 that they have rushed to enact ‘stay at home’ orders in hopes of preventing residents from being exposed to the virus.

All across our state concerned South Carolinians ranging from petition-signing citizens to prominent officials like U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham — who has been in self-quarantine since testing positive for the coronavirus — have been calling for South Carolina to emulate other states and implement a shelter in place policy statewide.

These are all grim facts.

But don’t fret, South Carolinians.

Why worry about such facts when we can all comfort ourselves with the excuses, “drip by drip” half-measures and platitudes that Gov. Henry McMaster keeps trotting out to justify not issuing a shelter in place order for our state?

According to McMaster, South Carolina still doesn’t need to be locked down because South Carolinians are “resilient” people who “follow rules” and don’t need a formal order to limit their mobility and potentially tamp down the spread of COVID-19.

Yes, it is true that South Carolinians are very resilient people.

But they are also very smart people.

And they are smart enough to see that what’s been tried up to this point has done little to slow down COVID-19’s march inside our borders.

Yes, it is true that South Carolinians have it in their DNA to observe rules.

But they also have it in their DNA to keenly observe what’s going on around them — and to use common sense in processing what they’re seeing.

They can see for themselves that more and more South Carolinians are falling ill from COVID-19.

They can see for themselves that more and more South Carolinians will surely die from it, as well.

And they can see for themselves that their own odds of being exposed to or dying from COVID-19 grow shorter each day we continue to resist locking down the state with a shelter in place order.

South Carolinians see all this.

South Carolinians know all this.

Now they need their governor to show a similar grasp on reality.

They need their governor to stop wasting valuable time trying to avoid what has become unavoidable — and to stop wasting valuable energy trying to defend what has become increasingly indefensible.

They need their governor to finally act in a truly decisive manner.

They need their governor to finally issue a formal shelter in place order across South Carolina.

So act, Gov. McMaster.

Act!

Now.

This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 3:10 PM.