The day before Governor Henry McMaster announced that beaches and some retail stores in South Carolina could reopen, health officials told his office that the changes posed serious risks related to the coronavirus pandemic.
These risks included the likelihood that the state’s seaside communities could see an influx of visitors who would ignore social detachment guidelines, as well as a “perception that loosened restrictions can lead to a false sense of security,” according to with an April 19 memo obtained by The Greenville News through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Earlier that day, a McMaster advisor was copied in an email stating that an independent global research center – the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle – recommended rules of social distance in South Carolina did not should be relaxed by “around June 1st”
“They warn that reducing preventive measures too early can lead to a recovery in disease activity,” said the email from Jennifer Read, chief of staff for the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Although McMaster did not move, the memo and e-mail were correct. Cases in urban areas and coastal counties in South Carolina have increased dramatically as people gathered there, often without wearing masks or adhering to social detachment practices designed to slow the spread of the disease and save lives.
At an April 20 news conference, the Republican governor said he was ending the mandatory closure of beaches and shops “in the light of the common sense demonstrated by the great people of South Carolina”.
Two weeks later, he canceled a home stay request that had been in effect for less than a month and also allowed outdoor meals to be resumed in restaurants. The internal meals came back a week after that. Beauty salons, gyms and attractions were back in operation before Memorial Day.
The virus spreads all the time.
COVID-19 boxes skyrocketed after the reopening of shops and beaches in SC
The warnings McMaster’s team received that Sunday in April proved to be accurate.
At that time, South Carolina had seen at least 4,377 cases of COVID-19 and 120 deaths. The highest total of new cases in one day had been 276 on April 16. There were projections that hospitalizations in the state had already peaked and that deaths would stabilize, reaching 217 on August 4.
In the 11 weeks since then, COVID-19 cases in the state have increased almost tenfold, with a new daily high of 1,836 cases occurring on July 4, according to DHEC. There were at least 718 additional deaths, including more than 100 last week. The total number of deaths in South Carolina is forecast to increase to 4,059 by November 1, according to an updated projection released on Tuesday. Hospitalizations also increased steadily, reaching a new record on Tuesday for 1,324 patients.
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Asked to comment on documents that The News obtained through its FOIA request, McMaster’s spokesman Brian Symmes sent an e-mailed statement Tuesday afternoon.
“The governor is not only aware of the opinions of public health authorities, but also receives this information and demands that he have it – it is part of his decision-making process, as he weighs these factors up with others, such as the state’s economic health. , South Carolinians “mental health and more,” wrote Symmes.
“The governor only lifted these restrictions when we collectively learned what each South Carolina can do to prevent the spread of the virus and protect our communities,” added Symmes. “It is simply not the government’s job to restrict business and personal freedoms until there is zero risk of spreading the virus.”
Nick Davidson, who is helping to lead DHEC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, said during a news conference on Thursday that the agency remains “in close communication with the governor”.
“We do not intend to be specialists in public health to try to understand or … dictate how the government should work. We are not coming to close certain deals. That is not the role of public health,” said Davidson. “We are certainly advisers and we are going to help people make the right decisions. But at the same time, if you start looking for public health to know how to run the government, you are probably barking at the wrong tree. ”
The biggest peaks of COVID-19 occurred in Greenville, Charleston, Myrtle Beach. Charleston now leads in SC cases
Greenville County, which was identified as a coronavirus hotspot last month, and two coastal areas have seen the biggest peaks of COVID-19 in recent weeks.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Greenville County grew from less than 500 when McMaster began easing restrictions in April to a total of 6,059 on Tuesday, which is an increase of approximately 1,100%. Greenville County had 79 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 and one probable death, with Richland County being the largest in South Carolina.
Charleston County experienced an increase and passed Greenville on Tuesday as the county in South Carolina with the highest number of cases.
“Community transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19 is widespread” in the Charleston metropolitan area, according to an assessment conducted this month by the Epidemiological Intelligence Project at the Medical University of South Carolina. “The current risk of infection is the most high so far, and much higher than during the previous blockade period in April. “
Myrtle Beach received unwanted national attention because dozens of visitors from various states tested positive for COVID-19 after vacationing there, according to reports.
Although McMaster lifted restrictions on most businesses and activities in South Carolina, he said last week that he will not allow sports like college or high school football to resume until the state’s growing COVID-19 numbers are reversed.
Read, the DHEC team leader, said in an email on Tuesday that it is “critical that everyone continue to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19”.
“As of today, the best thing that southern Carolinians can do to protect themselves is to wear a mask close to the others, to physically distance themselves from the others for almost two meters, to avoid group meetings and to wash their hands frequently”, she said.
Kirk Brown covers government and politics. Follow him on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM