COLUMBIA, SC (FOX Carolina) Governor McMaster was joined by Senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott at a meeting with his AccelerateSC team – which has been discussing a plan to safely reopen South Carolina amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Wednesday’s meeting focused on the ‘response’ portion of the plan.
McMaster opened with some clarification on his decision to extend his executive order to keep certain businesses closed for another few weeks. He emphasized that the reason several businesses, like hair salons and gyms, remain closed is because they rely too much on physical contact – thus breaking social distancing protocols.
A large portion of the meeting focused on restaurants, and if there was a possibility that they could reopen, with limited operations, anytime soon.
Questions arose concerning how to handle condiments on tables, if paper menus could be substituted, and how to move tables so that they would adhere to the 6-foot rule. While some dates like Mother’s Day were thrown out, state leaders quickly came to the decision that it is too soon to begin reopening dine-in restaurants if they want to continue to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
However, several team members came to bat for the restaurant industry – saying they are among some of the most flexible when it comes to operating their businesses. The argument was made that restaurant owners want their businesses and staff to thrive, and will do anything to make sure they can continue operations.
The team then switched gears to talk about childcare options, as well as the future of summer camps. They talked about how they can help the children of essential employees, as well as helping those who might not be able to pay for childcare – especially during this time.
The team was joined by South Carolina Senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott, who contributed their thoughts on the situation and commended state leaders for how they’ve handled the pandemic thus far.
MORE NEWS:
<a class=”tnt-asset-link” href=”https://www.foxcarolina.com/news/sc-bar-launches-covid-19-pro-bono-hotline-for-covid-19-related-issues/article_c817cb6a-8a5f-11ea-bc27-7353b2b9eac4.html”>SC Bar launches COVID-19 pro bono hotline for COVID-19 related issues</a>
<a class=”tnt-asset-link” href=”https://www.foxcarolina.com/news/sc-dhec-identifies-29-new-virus-related-deaths-through-cross-analysis-of-death-certificates-confirmed/article_ec5aa8de-8a51-11ea-b71d-779be50c1573.html”>SC DHEC identifies 29 new virus-related deaths through cross analysis of death certificates & confirmed cases, state’s total rises to 232</a>
