Ignore all of the noise, Gov. McMaster, and hold firm on reopening SC amid COVID-19

As impatience grows in some quarters for South Carolina to reopen sooner amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, some things have taken a predictable turn:

▪ We’ve seen protesters — waving handwritten signs and milking the passing traffic for horn honks of support — gather at the State House steps to loudly demand an end to the restrictions on businesses, schools and various activities that have been in place since COVID-19 began its march on South Carolina early last month.

▪ We’ve seen lawmakers — wearing somber expressions and speaking in solemn tones — gather at the State House steps to call for certain businesses to be reopened statewide.

▪ And we’ve heard voices across South Carolina hail the “leadership” of neighboring Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who boldly launched Operation Peach State Roulette and completely opened that state’s doors for business and recreational activity — blithely dismissing the fact that Georgia’s COVID-19 deaths have surpassed the four-figure mark and could soar by August if recommended social distancing procedures become too lax.

So clearly the pressure is mounting on Gov. Henry McMaster to blindly fling open South Carolina’s doors.

And clearly the clamor is growing for McMaster to abandon his strategy of reopening the state in gradual fashion.

But what’s also clear is how McMaster should respond to these rising levels of prodding and noise:

McMaster should ignore them.

McMaster should hold firm.

And McMaster should stay true to the sensible strategy of moving forward but deliberately in leading South Carolina toward normalcy during a modern-day plague.

Yes, there are some encouraging indications that South Carolina may be starting to flatten the curve of COVID-19.

But let’s not lose sight of how this pandemic continues to hammer our state day after day.

▪ Each day scores and scores of South Carolinians are contracting the virus; in fact, we’ll soon surpass 6,000 total cases — and the actual number is likely far higher when you factor in still-undocumented cases.

▪ It’s not uncommon anymore for 10 or more South Carolinians to die from COVID-19 during a single day.

▪ There are still troubling COVID-19 hotspots in our state — including the ZIP code 29203 area near downtown Columbia).

▪ South Carolina’s African American community continues to be massively and disproportionately affected by COVID-19: according to recent estimates while African Americans represent less than 30% of South Carolina’s population, they make up nearly half of those testing positive for COVID-19 — and more than half of those who die from it in our state.

These are realities — and they are still-relevant realities.

So, really, what is there to debate regarding McMaster’s move to renew the existing state of emergency in our state for 15 more days? What is there to debate regarding McMaster’s declaration that “if we’re smart, we can come out of this quickly — but we must do so safely”?

On each question, the logical answer is “nothing.”

And it’s why McMaster must stick to the current blueprint for reopening South Carolina in a disciplined and safe fashion.

So ignore the noise, governor.

And hold steady.

This story was originally published April 29, 2020 at 2:04 PM.