McMaster shuts down non-essential businesses, effective Wednesday
In a world reinventing its survival daily, South Carolinians will have to do so again in light of the continued threat of COVID-19.
Gov. Henry McMaster announced all non-essential businesses must close by 5 p.m. Wednesday, following days of calls from local and state leaders to issue a stay-at-home order, including a Charleston lawmaker who has contracted the new coronavirus.
This most recent executive order does not mandate a shelter-in-place situation for the state. Columbia and Charleston have opted not to lift their such orders even after state Attorney General Alan Wilson gave an opinion that only the governor can make that decision under a state of emergency.
Greenville’s city council is also mulling a stay-at-home order.
McMaster closed dine-in restaurants and bars on Wednesday, March 18, and reduced allowable gatherings to three people.
After ordering all public access points to the state’s beaches to close late Monday because of continued large gatherings taking place throughout the weekend, an order in which he also closed public boat ramps and public access points to lakes and rivers, McMaster announced the closure of non-essential businesses during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
While there has been no official statewide stay-at-home order issued, he said he and “everyone who’s been up here” at previous briefings have “been asking people to stay at home since the very beginning.”
Businesses impacted fall in the entertainment, athletic and close-contact service providers such as hair salons and tattoo parlors. McMaster said the types of businesses deemed non-essential were chosen to make the “biggest impact with the least disruption.”
Any person or entity who wants clarification or a determination about if their specific business is deemed non-essential should download a form at www.sccommerce.com or email the state Department of Commerce at covid19sc@sccommerce.com or call (803) 734-2873.
According to the text of the order, a team will review each request for clarification and provide a response within 24 hours.
Businesses that should be closed but are found to be violating the state mandate can be issued a misdemeanor punishable by up to $100 or up to 30 days' imprisonment.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For others, especially older adults and people with existing health issues, COVID-19 can cause severe complications like pneumonia and be fatal. The virus is highly contagious, and state public health officials said Tuesday there is mounting evidence that asymptomatic people are testing positive for it, meaning people likely have the virus but do not show symptoms at all.
Following are the non-essential businesses that must close in South Carolina by 5 p.m. today
- Barber shops
- Hair salons
- Waxing salons
- Threading salons
- Nail salons and spas
- Tattoo shops and body-art facilities
- Tanning salons
- Massage-therapy establishment and massage services
- Fitness and exercise centers and commercial gyms
- Spas and public or commercial swimming pools
- Spectator sports
- Sports that involve interaction in close proximity to and within less than 6 feet of another person
- Activities that require the use of shared sporting apparatus and equipment
- Activities on commercial or public playground equipment
- Racetracks
- Indoor children’s play areas (licensed childcare facilities can stay open)
- Bingo halls
- Rotary clubs, VFW clubs and other venues operated by social clubs
- Adult entertainment venues
- Night clubs
- Bowling alleys
- Arcades
- Concert venues
- Theaters, auditoriums and performing arts centers
- Tourist attractions (including museums, aquariums and planetariums