Health officials in South Carolina have advised people who visited its beaches and didn’t social distance and didn’t wear a mask to get tested for the CCP virus, also called the novel coronavirus.
The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic has seen a surge in the past few weeks and the state has emerged as a hotspot.
Joan Duwve, director of public health with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), said during Gov. Henry McMaster’s press conference on Friday the total confirmed cases in the state are 30,263, while the total reported deaths are 694.
“South Carolina is making national and international headlines, but not in the way we’d like,” Duvwe said. ”Our state’s numbers have drastically increased over the past few weeks, making us now one of the hotspots in the country for COVID-19,” she said.
Infection cases are particularly high among those who have visited the state’s beaches and according to Duvwe there are reports of whole groups who visited beaches testing positive.
The data says it all. #COVID19 cases are increasing in younger age groups. Do your part. #MaskUp pic.twitter.com/l62eZcGhYa
— SCDHEC (@scdhec) June 26, 2020
South Carolina beaches are a popular tourist destination for people from out-of-state and SCDHEC said it has received reports of clusters of cases of infection among teenage and young adults who visited the state’s beaches.
“They didn’t wear masks, and they didn’t social distance, and many of them contracted the virus, which not only caused them to be sick but put the health of their families and their entire communities at risk,” Duwve said.
The official explained that since April 4 there has been a surge in cases among the 21-30 age group by 414 percent and 966 percent in the 11-20 age group.
“We’ll continue to say it until more people heed our recommendations. Wear a mask. Social distance from others by at least six feet. Avoid group gatherings. Wash your hands and stay home when you’re sick,” Duwve said.
Due to the surge, six states, including New York, have made it mandatory for those coming from South Carolina to self-quarantine for 14 days.
“When I arrived here at the beginning of April, it was just the opposite,” Duvwe said. ”New York, which was once our country’s epicenter for COVID-19, is now having to quarantine South Carolinians who come.”
The state has set up pop-up testing sites at many places and the screenings are free of charge. SCDHEC has advised anyone who made a school trip or participated in a group social setting on the beach to make use of these testing sites.
Focus News: Beachgoers Urged to Get Tested for CCP Virus as South Carolina Sees Surge in New Cases