Beaufort County schools, libraries, public facilities close amid coronavirus concerns
Beaufort County School District, Technical College of the Lowcountry and many private schools announced they would close through the end of the month Sunday following an order to close all public schools statewide by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster.
The order lasts through the end of March and covers all K-12 public schools, state colleges and technical colleges.
All school-related events, including after-school activities and spring sports, are put on hold by the governor’s order, a Beaufort County School District release says.
Daycare facilities are not included in the governor’s order, but they were encouraged to follow suit and close.
Beaufort County also announced Sunday night that some county offices such as libraries, parks and recreation including facilities and pools and the animal shelter would be closing through March 31. Other offices will have limited staff.
“This is an unprecedented situation, something that has never occurred in our lifetimes,” said Beaufort County Superintendent Frank Rodriguez. “But our school teams have been preparing for this, and they’re moving forward with their plans.”
Jim Foster, district spokesman, said Sunday afternoon that parents would be receiving details Monday regarding at-home lessons including online and paper-based work packets for students who don’t have Internet access.
The district also will provide free breakfast and lunch for all students throughout the district.
The district serves about 22,405 students throughout the county.
“Thousands of Beaufort County families depend on our schools to provide meals for kids, and we don’t want the current emergency to stop that,” Rodriguez said. “Our food service contractor, Sodexo, has set up a distribution system we can fine-tune as needed in the days ahead.”
For the most up-to-date Beaufort County School District information, visit the district’s website Beaufortschools.net.
Even before the governor’s announcement, at least one Beaufort County school was reacting to coronavirus concerns. Lowcountry Montessouri told parents Sunday morning that it would close for two weeks.
Overall, 28 positive cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the state.
McMaster announced a state of emergency on Friday. The next day, he said the S.C. Board of Medical Examiners and Board of Nursing were expediting temporary licenses for out-of-state medical professionals.
Beaufort County cases
The three people who tested positive for coronavirus are in isolation while their cases are investigated, a DHEC news release said.
No new cases were announced on Sunday.
Two people had been exposed to a confirmed case from another state, the release says. The other person recently traveled internationally and has no known connection to the other two cases.
DHEC did not answer questions regarding identifying information such as age and location of the cases.
Free breakfast and lunch
Rodriguez said in the release that any child age 18 or younger can receive free breakfasts and lunches regardless of meal status during the school year.
Meals will be prepared and transported to 11 sites across the county:
- Battery Creek High
- Beaufort High
- Beaufort Middle
- Bluffton High
- Hilton Head Island High
- James J. Davis Early Childhood Center
- Okatie Elementary
- Red Cedar Elementary
- St. Helena Elementary
- Whale Branch Early College High
- Port Royal YMCA
Drive-through meal pick-ups will be available in the bus rider drop-offs at each location for breakfast from 7:15 to 8:45 a.m. and for lunch from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Breakfast items will vary and may include cereal with milk, fruit, whole grain Pop Tarts, cereal bars, milk and juice.
Lunches will be sandwiches, fruit, fresh vegetables and milk.
All food will be “grab-and-go,” with no food consumed on site. No one will be allowed in the school buildings. Students must be present at the time of pick up.
Beaufort County Offices
Beaufort County implemented a COVID-19 operations plan Sunday night, a news release says. It encouraging the public to use online tools when possible to keep from exposing county staff and buildings to the virus.
It also includes the closing of following county locations through March 31:
- Alcohol and Drug Abuse Department (Beaufort and Bluffton locations)
- Animal Shelter (no adoption or visiting)
- Assessor’s Office (all locations)
- Business License Department (all locations)
- Disabilities and Special Needs Department (all non-residential programming)
- Library branches and bookmobile services
- Parks and Recreation facilities and pools
- Records Management Department
- Register of Deeds’ public deed room
Freedom of Information Act services and public visitations have been suspended until further notice at the Beaufort County Detention Center.
Beaufort County Council meetings are still scheduled but the public is reminded that the meetings can be watched on Comcast channel 2, Hargary channels 9 and 113, and Spectrum channel 1304.
The meetings can also be live-streamed on the county’s website via The County Channel.
Public comments can be sent to the Clerk of Council at sbrock@bcgov.net.
For more information, visit the county’s website at www.beaufortcountysc.gov
Hilton Head Island events
On Sunday, McMaster urged organizers of public gatherings to limit them to 100 people or less, as South Carolina has embraced the policy of social distancing.
That currently does not include closing bars and restaurants, but the governor said all possibilities are being considered.
Hilton Head Island bar and restaurant managers had remained optimistic in recent weeks even as the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and festivities were canceled. After the announcement of three cases in the county, they also started changing plans.
Coligny Plaza rebranded and promoted an event they planned for the plaza’s parking lot as the “Island’s Largest Non-Parade Party” after the formal parade was canceled Thursday. However, after learning about the three cases in Beaufort County on Sunday night, organizers decided to cancel the parking lot party, plaza spokesman Matt Bodie said via email.
Many individual businesses continued on with smaller events. Wild Wings Cafe’s Hilton Head Island location hosted a series of bands including local favorites Deas Guyz.
Savannah hospital
Savannah Memorial Health limited additional entrances and added visitor restrictions to the hospital Sunday afternoon.
Patients and visitors will be screened with basic questions by greeters at all public entrances to the hospital, the release says.
Entrance to the hospital’s emergency room will remain open 24/7.
Limited entry includes:
- Main Hospital Entrance — 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
- Heart and Vascular Institute — 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
- Day surgery — 4:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday
Patients will be allowed one adult visitor 18 years old or older between 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Anyone with a fever, cough or shortness of breath who traveled outside the United States in the past 14 days or had direct contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 is asked not to visit the hospital.
Technical College of the Lowcountry
The college announced Sunday it would be canceling all in-person classes and more details about course delivery would be released on Monday.
Faculty, staff and employees would receive more information Sunday night, a news release says.
More information can be found at www.tcl.edu/emergency
Other School Closings
Holy Trinity Classical Christian School through March 31
Hilton Head Christian Academy closed through March 31
John Paul II Catholic School closed through March 31 but will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday for students to collect materials needed for the next couple weeks.
St. Francis Catholic School through March 31
Beaufort Academy for two weeks
Beaufort Christian School and daycare through March 31
Cross Schools through March 31
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhat you should know about the coronavirus
The coronavirus is spreading in the United States. Officials are urging people to take precautions to avoid getting sick, and to avoid spreading the disease if they do contract it.
Click the drop-down icon on this card for more on the virus and what you should do to keep yourself and those around you healthy.
What is coronavirus?
Coronavirus is an infection of the respiratory system similar to the flu. Coronaviruses are a class of viruses that regularly cause illnesses among adults and children, but this outbreak has spawned a new disease called COVID-19, a particularly harsh respiratory condition that can lead to death.
Health officials believe COVID-19 spread from animals to humans somewhere in China. It spreads among humans by physical person-to-person contact, including via coughs. That’s why health officials urge sick individuals to avoid contact with other people.
For more information, visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms are similar to the flu and include fever, coughing and shortness of breath.
How can I stop the spread of the coronavirus?
Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, and cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
If you develop symptoms similar to the coronavirus, you should seek medical attention. Stay home from work or school and avoid contact with others. It can take up to 14 days after coming into contact with the virus to develop symptoms.
COVID-19 is a new condition and there’s much about the disease we still don’t understand. For now, taking precautions is the best way to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 5:29 PM.
