Wishing away SC’s COVID-19 rise won’t work, Gov. McMaster. It’s time to change course

South Carolina continues to set records for daily new cases of COVID-19, and it continues to steadily march toward the 1,000 mark in deaths related to the coronavirus.

Given these harsh truths, it would be comforting to have the state’s governor and one of its big-city mayors on the same page when it comes to telling South Carolinians what’s expected of them during the ongoing pandemic. But that’s not the case with Gov. Henry McMaster and Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, and the jarring disconnect between their two messages.

As the state’s COVID-19 numbers keep mounting, one narrative has begun to solidify: South Carolinians are doing a poor job of wearing face masks and practicing social distancing — two of the key elements necessary to halt the spread of the virus.

What’s been McMaster’s response to this link between the rising cases and poor vigilance? His response has been to repeatedly urge South Carolinians to wear masks and keep their distance — but to also avoid taking any meaningful steps to require people to do so.

In essence, here is McMaster’s message:

“If we just leave people in our state alone, they’ll do the right thing. They don’t need rules to do it.”

That’s a huge departure from the tone that’s being struck by Benjamin, who has grown so alarmed by the COVID-19 spike that Columbia is considering legislation to require people to wear face masks in public buildings, on public transportation and during various other scenarios when they’re around others.

In essence, here is Benjamin’s message:

“We’ve given people long enough to do the right thing, and they still aren’t doing it. Now it’s time for some rules to make them do it.”

By any objective measure the data right now seems to favor Benjamin’s approach, and it’s incumbent on McMaster to change tack on the idea of imposing statewide requirements to wear face masks.

At the very least McMaster should immediately mandate that face masks be worn by employees in businesses — like restaurants and bars — that are considered high-risk spots for COVID-19. Why that isn’t already occurring in our state is beyond befuddling.

But equally important McMaster should take up Columbia’s mantle: the governor should bluntly tell South Carolinians that he’s no longer ruling out requiring face masks to be worn in public settings — and that he’s prepared to implement that policy if necessary.

In short, McMaster needs to toss aside the carrot and start reaching for the stick to drive down our state’s soaring COVID-19 numbers.

After all, how much more evidence is needed to conclude that gentle pandering is getting us nowhere?

It’s obvious that pleading with South Carolinians to take the ongoing threat of COVID-19 seriously isn’t working.

Too many of our fellow citizens simply refuse to take it seriously anymore..

And that’s unlikely to change.

It’s obvious that appealing to South Carolinians to embrace their sense of individual responsibility regarding the virus isn’t working.

Too many of our fellow citizens simply view having the freedom to do the right thing as having free license to do the selfish thing.

And that’s unlikely to change, either.

The time has come for McMaster to bow to such realities.

It’s time for McMaster to embrace new strategies to combat the reluctance of so many South Carolinians to accept the “new normal.”

It’s time for McMaster to stop wishing for folks to do the right thing on COVID-19.

It’s time for the governor to start taking action to make the right thing happen.

This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 11:29 AM.