March 24, 2020
Stay home. Go out only for essentials. Practice social distancing when you go out.
Staying home saves lives!
JOINT STATEMENT: Beaufort County Council Chairman Joe Passiment and all the region’s mayors, including Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling, put out a joint statement this evening calling on county residents ‘to create a culture of infection control and lead by example.’ Let’s step it up, everyone! Read the statement here.
NUMBERS GOING UP: The numbers of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to grow in South Carolina. As of mid-day Tuesday, there are 342 confirmed cases with 22 in Beaufort County. Five people in the state have died from this disease. See DHEC map showing where cases are.
DHEC’s main page
COUNTY UPDATE: Beaufort County officials will participate in a teleconference Wednesday, March 25, at 9:15 a.m., with community leaders on the front lines of COVID-19 efforts. They will share federal, state and local updates, and how it impacts our Lowcountry community. The audio event will be carried live on Beaufort County’s The County Channel.
SCHOOLS: Gov. McMaster and South Carolina Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced today that South Carolina’s schools will remain closed for all of April.
BEAUFORT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL: The hospital has set up a screening tent in the parking lot next to its emergency room for patients with mild fever and respiratory complaints. This will allow the hospital to test these patients while protecting ER patients without these symptoms from exposure. Details can be found here. The hospital also announced today that people who want to make donations to the hospital can visit www.beaufortmemorial.org/covid19support for a list of needed items, as well as how and where to donate them. All medical supplies, or Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), must be new, unused and sealed in its original packaging. Go to Beaufort Memorial Hospital’s website for the latest information on what you should do if you believe you have symptoms.
GOV. MCMASTER: Find the latest updates from the governor on Office of Governor website.
As a reminder, no more than 3 people are allowed to congregate at Beaufort City parks or other public areas, per the governor’s directions on Monday.
HELPING EACH OTHER: Beaufort County is keeping an up-to-date list on non-profits that provide help for those in need, including food pantries. Find it here.
The Community Foundation of the Low Country has begun a COVID-19 Response Fund to rapidly deploy resources to community-based, frontline nonprofit organizations addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton and Colleton counties. It is seeded with $100,000 and the foundation is challenging the community to match it.
BUSINESS RESOURCES: The Beaufort County Regional Chamber of Commerce has a Coronavirus Resource Center devoted to resources for businesses in our community and suggestions on how we can safely support those businesses. Find it here.
Beaufort County also has a list of business resources. Find it here.
Beaufort Curbside To Go & Delivery Facebook page has the latest on our many restaurants and how we can support them (safely!)
The Beaufort CVB (Visit Beaufort, Port Royal & the Sea Islands) has a page devoted to updates on events (many canceled); interactive maps, etc. Find it here.
BAHA (Beaufort Area Hospitality Association) has a Facebook page where it is posting jobs. As we know, many of those in the hospitality industry (wait staff, chefs, tour operators, etc.,) are hurting right now. If you know of job opportunities, please send to BAHA. Find it here. BAHA also has a resource page. Find it here.
HEALTHY LIVING TIPS: If you’ve got restless kids, have them check out illustrator Wendy MacNaughton’s #DrawTogether live class on her Instagram page at 1 p.m. M-F. It’s for kids of all ages – even those of us of a certain age who are doing it along with their granddaughter and comparing pictures after (Molly’s are better!). Wendy Mac is just awesome! https://www.instagram.com/wendymac/
ONLINE EXERCISE: A big thank you to the local exercise and yoga studios, as well as the YMCA, for offering online classes and videos. Find them on this Facebook post.
REMINDERS: City of Beaufort offices are closed to the public to protect our employees and our residents. Many of our employees are working from home. They are answering phone calls and emails during business hours. This press release has more information.
#togetherbft