COLUMBIA, SC (WBTW) – Governor Henry McMaster extended the State of Emergency for South Carolina after it expired on Thursday.
State law determines if a governor makes the extension, it will last for 15 days. The declration allows for the state’s response to COVID-19 to continue, McMaster said.
McMaster has said the State of Emergency allows him to suspend regulations and put the state in a position to receive funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The emergency order directs the Department of Health and Environmental Control to exercise all of its emergency powers as outlined in the Emergency Health Powers Act, which allows the departments to do what it deems necessary to address the coronavirus pandemic.
In the executive order McMaster states, “I further direct DHEC to restrict visitation to nursing homes and assisted living facilities, with the exception of end-of-life situations, as DHEC deems necessary and appropriate.”
It directs public schools to remain closed through the state of emergency unless otherwise mandated.
It also gives protective measures for first responders and suspends rules and regulations regarding certain transportation waivers.
You can read the full order here:
