City officials in Summerville and Mount Pleasant have extended temporary requirements for people to wear masks or other facial coverings in public.
The renewals are taking place as state health officials continue to report increasing cases and deaths from coronavirus. With the colder days approaching Lowcountry and the Thanksgiving holiday weeks approaching, officials are asking the public to remain vigilant to ease the blow to what many fear is a third national increase in cases.
Summerville officials met on Thursday night and extended the requirement until December 10.
Anyone entering a supermarket, pharmacy or any building owned or operated by the city will have to wear a face shield while inside, officials said. Supermarkets do not include convenience stores and companies will not be held responsible for complying with the requirement.
But they will be required to put “visible signs” on all entrances describing the mask requirement, officials said.
In addition, “all restaurants, retail stores, beauty salons, barber shops, supermarkets, pharmacies and buildings in the city and indoor facilities in the city must require their employees to use facial coverage at all times, having face-to-face interaction with the public or other employees, “officials said.
Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie has enacted an emergency proclamation that also requires the use of a face mask or other cover.
All persons entering a supermarket, pharmacy or building owned or administered by the city must wear a mask while inside, according to the proclamation. As with Summerville, supermarkets do not include convenience stores, and companies will not be responsible for enforcing the rule, but will have to put up signs.
Haynie’s proclamation also includes a requirement that employees of the types of businesses listed in the Summerville decree wear masks.
“This proclamation contains the same regulations that were approved by the council in three recent votes,” said the mayor. “The coming holidays bring greater risks of exposure and this 60-day extension helps us during the holiday.”
The mask proclamation will take effect on Sunday and expire 60 days later.
State figures
New cases reported: 1,348, which is 753 percent higher than the 158 registered on March 31, the day Governor Henry McMaster ordered the closing of non-essential deals.
Total cases in SC: 181,243 plus 10,858 probable cases
New reported deaths: 17
Total deaths in SC: 3,853 confirmed, 266 likely
Total tests in SC: 2,261,465
Hospitalized patients: 775
Percentage of positive tests, average of seven days: 13.8 percent. Five percent or less of the tests with positive results is a good sign that the spread of the virus is slowing, say the researchers.
Most affected areas
South Carolina’s top counties for new coronavirus cases on Friday were Greenville, 242; Spartanburg, 109; and Anderson, 99, according to the Department of Health Control and Environment of SC.
What about the tri-county?
Charleston County reported 92 new cases, Berkeley reported 28 and Dorchester reported 34.
DHEC reported two deaths in three counties on Friday: Elderly patients 65 and older from Charleston and Berkeley.
Deaths
Of the remaining 15 deaths that DHEC reported on Friday, one was a resident of Pickens County aged 35-64, said DHEC. The rest of the reported deaths were from elderly patients.
They lived in the following counties: Anderson, Florence, Georgetown, Greenville, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Oconee, Richland and York.
Hospitalizations
Of the 775 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 on Friday, 188 were in intensive care and 89 were on ventilators.
Long-term care facilities
There were 11,059 confirmed cases of coronavirus in nursing homes and assisted living facilities: 7,177 residents and 3,882 employees, according to DHEC data.
So far, 1,500 residents have died from the virus, a mortality rate of 21 percent. Twenty-three workers also died. Together, they account for 40 percent of deaths in the state, the data released on Friday show.
Of the 684 installations monitored by DHEC, the virus was found in 406. There are active outbreaks in 120 of them.
Some type of visitation – internal, external or both – is allowed in 434 installations; 210 do not allow; and 40 did not report.
What do the experts say?
The authorities continue to urge Southern Carolinians to take precautions such as the use of masks or other facial covers, social distance and frequent hand washing.
They also recommend that anyone who believes they have been exposed to the virus or who are developing symptoms get tested. Those who live in the community or cannot distance themselves socially should be tested monthly, DHEC advised.
Go to scdhec.gov/findatest to find a test site in your area.
