SC Dept Of Health Calls On Legislators To Remove Ban On Mask Mandates As State Records 3rd Highest Daily Covid Case Total Since Pandemic Began

Drew Bollea,

COLUMBIA, S.C. ― The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is now calling on state elected leaders to overturn a law that prohibits school districts from mandating masks. The move comes as the state reportedΒ a total of 6,697 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the third-highest total in a single day since the start of the pandemic.

Not since the state reported 7,680 cases on Jan. 6 and 7,450 on Jan. 8 has the state seen so many positive tests on one day.

The cases have surged right as school is beginning again. In late June, the state recorded fewer than 100 cases on back to back days.

Now, South Carolina has not been below 1,000 cases since July 24 and has had two days with more than 5,000 cases and two with more than 4,000 in the last two weeks.

Officials from SCDEH say the trend is going in the wrong direction. They say children returning to school and the proliferation of the highly transmissible Delta variant has fueled a spike that requires attention and legislative consideration of the removal of masking restrictions.

According to the report, more young people are getting COVID-19, more are requiring hospitalization, and more are being put on ventilators than at any time in the pandemic, and the school year has only just begun.

In South Carolina, only about 20 percent of those 12–19 are fully vaccinated. Those under the age of 12 are not yet eligible for vaccination, requiring other means, such as mask wearing and social distancing, to protect them from COVID-19, said the health officials.

β€œWe have to pay close attention to what these numbers are telling us about the virus’ behavior and understand the risk we’re facing,” said Dr. Ed Simmer, DHEC Director, “without a corresponding surge in vaccinations to meet this challenge and universal indoor masking in public places, my fear is that more grim milestones are ahead. My hope, however, is that we will rise to meet this challenge by getting all eligible South Carolinians vaccinated so together we can end this pandemic.”