COLUMBIA, SC (WBTW) – Gov. McMaster expanded the order to close non-essential businesses to include more types of stores on Friday.
The expanded order will take effect at 5 p.m. on Monday, McMaster said.
The types of businesses ordered to close on Monday include:
- Furniture stores
- Home furnishing stores
- Clothing stores
- Shoe and clothing accessory stores
- Jewelry stores
- Luggage and leather goods stores
- Department stores
- Florists
- Sporting goods stores
- Book stores
- Craft store
- Music stores
- Previous list of stores found here.
The order clearly excludes hardware, firearm and home improvement stores.
The governor also issued an executive order to prohibit all short-term rentals to anyone traveling to South Carolina from a CDC defined hot spots. “No new rentals of those places including hotels, short-term rentals, motels, vacation homes, condominiums, resorts, bed and breakfasts, and timeshare companies,” he said.
The order specifically excludes rentals to military service members, medical personnel, first responders and long-haul transporters.
Still, Gov. McMaster did not feel it was necessary to order a statewide stay at home order.
He said the measures the state has taken are both voluntary and mandatory for people staying at home.
“Our state is not like everyone else’s state,” he said. “Georgia for example has Atlanta – there are more people in Atlanta than there are in South Carolina. The city of New Orleans has become a hotspot in a short amount of time. South Carolina is certainly not New York – every state is different. They have different economies, different resources and different medical facilities. We are taking a deliberate approach to be as aggressive as we can at the right time.”
To those who do not comply with the three or more ban, McMaster said law enforcement has the authority during the state of emergency declaration to disperse crowds and comes with criminal penalties.
