Gov. Henry McMaster announced new executive action at his Friday morning press conference to help stop the spread of COVID-19 as cases surge in the Palmetto State.
The governor has issued a new executive order to prevent late-night gatherings at bars and restaurants, restricting the sale of alcohol at these businesses, saying they must stop selling alcohol at 11 p.m. every night.
It goes into effect on Saturday, July 11th, and does not affect the sale of alcohol at convenience stores, grocery stores or other retail stores.
McMaster says this his response to the skyrocketing number of cases among young people in South Carolina.
He says he hopes this sends a message that young adults need to take the virus seriously and he is worried about young people spreading COVID-19 to other segments of the population.
Gov. McMaster also mentioned the desire to reopen schools when announcing his new order on Friday morning. He also said he wants to allow nursing home visitation, but he cannot do that until young people “act like mature adults.”
McMaster also spoke very adamantly about reopening schools, citing the American Academy of Pediatricians who says students need to get back to in-person learning to combat other issues such as mental health, abuse, neglect and hunger in children; while several teacher advocacy groups across the state have called for virtual school instruction, citing the safety of teachers and other adult staff members in schools.
You can see all of Gov. McMaster’s COVID-19 Executive Orders here.
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