We need wisdom to reopen SC amid COVID-19. The Five Points scene wasn’t a good start

As our state starts to speed up the process of reopening after weeks of coronavirus-inflicted restrictions, it’s already clear what will be one of the biggest challenges.

It will be getting South Carolinians to remember why there were weeks of restrictions in the first place.

After all, the cold hard facts haven’t changed.

The coronavirus isn’t merely a passing nuisance.

It remains an ongoing threat that has already directly affected the health of thousands of people across this state.. It remains a lethal threat that has already killed hundreds of people across this state.

And make no mistake about it: new cases and new deaths will continue to be reported on a daily basis for some time to come.

That’s why the move to speed up reopening South Carolina amid COVID-19 is at its core a calculated leap of faith.

Its success will hinge on average South Carolinians showing sound judgment just as much as it will on South Carolina’s leaders implementing sound policies.

That’s the bottom line.

That’s what will be demanded from us during these still-troubling and still-dangerous times in our state.

But we’re not off to a good start.

No, we’re not off to a promising start given the recent spectacle in Five Points, which saw huge crowds of people flood into the tightly compact and dense district.

And then stand in long lines waiting to eat in the restaurants that are now able to provide outdoor dining.

And, worst of all, to do the above while showing little regard for social distancing — one of the key elements to keeping a deadly respiratory illness like COVID-19 from continuing to spread.

If the scene during that recent evening didn’t alarm you — as it clearly did the management of Publico, a Five Points restaurant that admirably closed earlier than planned that night out of concern about the lack of social distancing — it should.

Look, here’s a reality that obviously must be hammered home again and again — and then some more:

If our state is to successfully and safely swing its doors back open in the shadow of a modern-day plague that hasn’t gone away, the real responsibility for making that happen falls on us.

It won’t happen by waiting for our leaders to tell us to do it.

It won’t happen by waiting for our law enforcement to make us do it.

It’s on us to show the sense of discretion to remember that having relaxed restrictions during a pandemic is not akin to having no restrictions during one.

It’s on us to show the sense of duty to remember that as long as the coronavirus still has the capability to impact or kill any South Carolinian, it’s on us to do all we can to protect every South Carolinian.

This is the new reality if we’re to ever have a “new normal.”

The recent scene at Five Points was stark evidence that we’re still coming to grips with this new reality.

It’s time to face that reality.

And it’s time to rise to the challenge that it will continue to require us to meet.

This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 7:35 AM.