COLOMBIA – When lawmakers return to the South Carolina State House this week to start the 2021 legislative session, most promise to wear masks and take other safety precautions, but some are still concerned about the chances of spreading the coronavirus amid a still violent pandemic.
The rate of new COVID cases will be considerably higher during the first weeks of this legislative session than it was when lawmakers suspended their 2020 work in March. Legislators have only met since then for a few brief emergency sessions to deal with the relief from COVID and the elections, as well as to reorganize themselves for this next session.
During their brief organizational meeting at the end of last year, at least three lawmakers tested positive for the virus, further reinforcing the need for caution as they will resume for longer periods in 2021.
The coronavirus test will again be available to all members and staff through the University of South Carolina, according to spokesmen for Senate President Harvey Peeler, R-Gaffney, and Mayor, Jay Lucas, R- Hartsville.
Some members of the House, including minority leader Todd Rutherford, D-Columbia, said they would support mandatory masks for everyone in the House Chamber, but Lucas said he would simply encourage all members to follow his lead using one. All 46 senators agreed to wear a mask, Peeler said.
They will receive some assistance for this purpose from a local company.
ZVerse, a Columbia-based digital manufacturing company, donated 200 boxes of face shields to members and employees in the House and Senate. The company started creating face shields in March, when the pandemic began to hit the country and has since produced 4 million of them, according to a statement provided to The Post and Courier.
John Carrington, founder and CEO of ZVerse, said they saw an opportunity to help lawmakers and employees stay healthy by providing two different types of face shields, one with neck support and one with forehead support.
“It is vital that our lawmakers continue to operate as normally as possible to guide us through this crucial period in responding to the pandemic,” said Carrington.
Meanwhile, Governor Henry McMaster is resisting calls from some lawmakers to make his annual state of the state address on Wednesday night a virtual event.
The top Senate Democrats wrote on Monday in a letter to McMaster that maintaining the tradition “is simply not worth the destruction it could bring to our colleagues and their communities when they return home”, noting that many lawmakers are over 65, which puts them at particular risk.
“In the midst of an ongoing pandemic, it contradicts all common sense and scientific guidance to accommodate about 200 elected officials, you, officials, media and others from all over South Carolina in one room,” wrote the Senate minority leader. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg and deputy leader of the Ronnie Sabb minority, D-Greeleyville.
In response to the letter, McMaster spokesman Brian Symmes said the governor would still deliver the speech on Wednesday as scheduled, but his office “has been working with House and Senate officials for weeks to limit the number people in the Chamber and ensure that social distance is possible. “
During the speech, state senators will sit on the veranda normally reserved for guests.
Other changes include new rules in the Chamber to allow members to sit and vote on the balcony of the chamber, allowing greater distance, especially for those who are most at risk of complications. At least during the first months of the session, legislative leaders should also not invite any special groups or sports teams for recognition.
Follow Jamie Lovegrove on Twitter @jslovegrove.