McMaster must start to face facts on COVID-19 — and start to weigh shutting SC down
Let’s not mince words regarding the gravity of COVID-19 in South Carolina.
This virus — this modern-day plague — is ravaging our state.
It continues to sicken and kill South Carolinians in stark numbers.
And there’s little indication that its wrathful path will lessen soon.
This is the current reality of COVID-19 in South Carolina.
And Gov. Henry McMaster must come to grips with it.
McMaster must consider shutting South Carolina down — or at the very least decelerating efforts to keep it fully reopened — to improve our chances of slowing COVID-19’s raging pace.
Clearly no one in South Carolina wants a shutdown to occur.
But surely everyone in South Carolina should accept that it needs to be a viable option on the table as COVID-19 wipes away our lives and horribly impacts our communities.
Can’t wish it away
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic too many South Carolinians have indulged in doggedly pretending that this really isn’t happening — and in blindly hoping that this will all stop happening any day now.
They need to take a hard look at what’s going on around them.
Our officials know
Our health officials know COVID-19 will be a major threat for the foreseeable future.
That’s why just days ago the state Department of Health and Environmental Control released a report acknowledging that there isn’t a single county among South Carolina’s 46 counties in the “low recent disease activity” category for COVID-19.
In fact, according to the report, all 46 counties are in the “high recent disease activity” category.
Our communities know
Our communities know COVID-19 will be a major threat for the foreseeable future.
That’s why cities like Columbia are rushing to extend ordinances requiring citizens to wear face masks in public settings.
And it’s why the SC National Guard is building tents in Orangeburg County to house overflow coronavirus patients who require hospitalization.
Our schools know
Our schools know COVID-19 will be a major threat for the foreseeable future.
That’s why school systems like the Beaufort County School District have decided to start the academic year offering online-only classes— and why Beaufort superintendent Frank Rodriguez openly declared that “conditions must be safer than they are today” before the district will offer in-person classroom instruction.
Other states know
Our fellow states across the country know COVID-19 will be a major threat in South Carolina for the foreseeable future.
That’s why West Virginia’s clownish governor, Jim Justice, felt bold enough to have the self-serving gall to blame Myrtle Beach for an increase in COVID-19 outbreaks in his state.
Harsh truths
These are the harsh truths of COVID-19 in South Carolina right now.
And if they don’t begin to change soon, it would irresponsible of Gov. McMaster to not consider a shutdown.
Reopened too soon
It should be beyond debate that we’re now struggling to contain COVID-19 in large part because McMaster — his hand forced by growing pressure and increasingly noisy “Open up our state” protests — moved to reopen South Carolina far too soon and too expansively this spring.
Of course, there is some justification in blaming COVID-19’s spread on the stubborn segment of South Carolinians who — in some odd, proudly defiant celebration of willful ignorance — keep refusing to wear face masks to reduce the virus’ transmission.
But why has Chad in Cameron felt empowered to dismiss taking COVID-19 seriously enough to cover his face?
He has that attitude now in August because of McMaster’s shortsighted “Let’s just reopen and all will be fine” approach back in May.
Of course, it’s easy to target young South Carolinians for condemnation because many have ignored the practice of social distancing — a key to helping prevent COVID-19’s transmission — while flocking to beaches, bars and other virus hotspots.
But that overlooks the obvious fact that it was McMaster — not Megan the millennial from Meggett — who made it possible for South Carolinians to pack these hotspots in risky fashion.
Well, no more.
We just can’t keep ignoring what’s obvious.
We can’t rule out the idea of shutting our state down to drive down our fearsome COVID-19 figures.
And our governor shouldn’t rule it out either.
This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 6:38 AM with the headline "McMaster must start to face facts on COVID-19 — and start to weigh shutting SC down."