Saturday, January 16, 2021

Gov. Henry McMaster says open schools for 5-day, in-person class

Image from McMaster's Twitter feed.
Gov. Henry McMaster said it's time to reopen South Carolina schools for five-day, in-person class. He gave a coronavirus briefing Wednesday. And he's ready to sign it into law. 

"Parents shouldn’t have to choose between their jobs and their children. I ask the General Assembly to quickly send legislation to my desk that will require unwilling school districts to reopen their classrooms," McMaster said in his State of the State address Wednesday. Link to video

McMaster said in-person learning is important for the education of South Carolinian children, who will eventually become the state's workforce.

Mask laws and lockdowns have not necessarily affected the claims of more coronavirus. Positive test numbers have spiked or subsided regardless of rules to reduce contact. And many of the numbers associated with COVID deaths are primarily from other conditions or diseases, according to the CDC. In South Carolina, the average age of a stated COVID victim is 78. That's in line with average life expectancy.  

While the impact on COVID on mortality contains riddles, deaths from drug overdoses in Lexington County (SC) have spiked from 60 to 104 from 2019 to 2020. Suicides are up about 10 percent, from 51 to 56, according to the Lexington County Coroner's Office.     

The SC Department of Education is also urging school districts to offer more in-person options. 


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