At the tail-end of the work week, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced that he was lifting more statewide COVID-19 restrictions.
The governor issued an executive order Friday that said face masks were no longer required in goverment buildings and the remaining state employees working from home will be called back to the workplace.
The order also rescinds mandatory restrictions and requirements for restaurants (which doesn’t apply in most cities that still require masks at restaurants).
“Now that the majority of South Carolinians are eligible to receive the vaccine, and infections and hospitalizations have dropped significantly, state agency heads may safely bring back the last group of state employees working remotely,” McMaster said Friday.
While more than half of South Carolinians are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, only 700,000 have received vaccinations.
Earlier this week, McMaster announced that 2.7 million people will be eligible for the vaccine beginning Monday.
According to the CDC, South Carolina is the 7th worst state in the U.S. for the number of vaccine doses administered per 100,000 citizens.
The vaccine rollout has been bungled from the beginning in South Carolina.
“To say McMaster has bumbled, fumbled and stumbled his way through Covid-19 is putting it politely,” FITSNews founding editor Will Folks previously wrote. “Also, as we have frequently pointed out, his inconsistent handling of the pandemic had significantly sapped his political strength.”
(Side note: Will has been out sick with COVID-19 all week. Please keep him and his family in your prayers…)
McMaster hasn’t even hinted that he’s made mistakes in this pandemic. His message of taking “pride” in South Carolina — no matter how far down on the list we are — has been about the only consistent thing we’ve seen from him throughout this pandemic.
After he announced his executive order Friday, McMaster made an unusual move…. in what looks like a Twitter fight?
McMaster asked South Carolinians to sign an online petition showing support for him.
“Governor McMaster kept South Carolina open, and now the Left wants to penalize us,” the petition said. “Because Governor McMaster is such a strong conservative leader, Democrats are on the attack! Will you help us fight back?”
The petition is in response to the South Carolina Democratic Party calling McMaster out for taking pride in the fact that the Palmetto State was named the No. 2 state with the least amount of COVID-19 restrictions.
However, the same source (Wallethub) also recently named South Carolina as the 9th least safest state in the U.S. for COVID-19. The study considered COVID-19 transmission, positive test rates, hospitalizations and death, and the percentage of the eligible population getting vaccinated for their rankings.
Also late Friday night, former president Donald Trump endorsed Henry McMaster for his 2022 reelection campaign, Meg Kinard of the AP first reported.
So it this the official start to McMaster’s 2022 campaign? Hmm…..
Editor’s Note: While Will is out of pocket, please feel free to send me your tips and story ideas to mandy@fitsnews.com.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR..
Mandy Matney is the news director at FITSNews. She’s an investigative journalist from Kansas who has worked for newspapers in Missouri, Illinois, and South Carolina before making the switch to FITS. She currently lives on Hilton Head Island where she enjoys beach life. Mandy also hosts the Murdaugh Murders podcast. Want to contact Mandy? Send your tips to mandy@fitsnews.com.
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