NEWS BRIEFS: Schools, colleges across S.C. close for coronavirus

Gov,. Henry McMaster at podium during a March 15 briefing in Columbia.

Staff reports  | Gov. Henry McMaster announced Sunday that all of the state’s public schools, colleges and technical colleges will close starting today as a health response to growing concerns about the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.  The institutions will remain closed through March 31.  

“I urge that public gatherings both indoor and outdoor be limited to 100 people or less,” he said, adding that local elections scheduled for March and April also would be postponed.  

On Friday, the governor issued a state of emergency for South Carolina following President Trump’s national declaration of a state of emergency earlier that day. 

As of Sunday, there were 28 identified presumed-positive cases of COVID-19 novel coronavirus in South Carolina, according to the state Department of Health and Environmental Control

“We emphasize the importance of practicing disease prevention measures and following recommendations for social distancing to protect our community as a whole,” said the state’s epidemiologist, Dr. Linda Bell, in a press release.

• Learn more about what’s happening with the coronavirus via the Charleston City Paper.
• FAQ about coronavirus from the city of Charleston.  (good resource)

In other news briefs:

Filing period opens March 16. And speaking of election filing period: The 2020 candidate filing period opens noon, March 16, and closes noon, March 30. All Senate seats and all House seats are up for election this year. Learn about candidate qualifications here. 

1988 law found unconstitutional. A federal judge struck down a South Carolina law Wednesday that prohibited the discussion of same-sex relationships in public school sexual education classes after a group of LGBTQ advocates filed suit against the state, saying the law unconstitutionally affected non-heterosexual students. Read more. 

Tracking rape kits passes the Senate. After passing the Senate, a rape-kit tracking bill will soon head toward Gov. Henry McMaster’s desk. The House and Senate will need to agree on differences between their versions of the bill. Editor and Publisher Andy Brack penned a column earlier this year urging passage of the bill. Read it here. It is unknown what the fiscal impact of the bill will be, according to a Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office report. 

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