Staff reports  | City and county leaders strongly urged Charleston County residents to “stay home, stay distanced and stay safe” in the weeks ahead as the nation grapples with the coronavirus pandemic.

As of Sunday, 13 people in Charleston County tested positive for coronavirus, as well as two in Berkeley County and one in Dorchester County, according to state data.  Across the state, 195 people tested positive for the virus, including 44 in Kershaw County.

“Doctors tell us that the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 would be nothing less than a death sentence for thousands of our friends and family members right here in the Lowcountry,” Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said at a Sunday press conference.  “And the only way to avoid that tragedy is for all of us to start following those three simple rules right now.”

Stay home:  “If you don’t have an essential reason to go out, don’t go out. The life you save by avoiding that unnecessary trip could turn out to be yours or one of your loved ones.” the mayor said.