Be glad you live here.
Lexington County has only 6 new covid-19 cases – 4 of them at Extended Care – compared with 40 next door in Richland County.
State health officials reported 2 more deaths, both elderly people in Anderson and Beaufort counties.
The state’s deaths now stand at 18, one of them an elderly resident of Extended Care in Lexington.
Despite the disease, county residents and public officials appear to be coping with the continuing threat,
“We’re all in this together,” said Dr. Brannon Traxler of the Department of Health & Environmental Control.
“We encourage all South Carolinians to stay home and limit your close contact with others.”
151 new cases
DHEC reported 151 additional cases of covid-19 with 1,081 cases in 42 counties.
As of Tuesday, several local officials have called for an order to shelter-in-place, but the governor has not done it.
In positive news:
• Mission Lexington and other charities are open but with restrictions
• Although all 5 districts have closed schools, they are offering up to 7 bagged student breakfasts and lunches weekly for pick up.
• Midlands Tech is teaching all its courses online as are local schools.
• The Farmers Market has opened a fresh food delivery service and grocers are open but with limited supplies.
• Lexington Medical Center, Wellmore of Lexington, Amazon, the Chronicle and others are hiring.
Services online
• Funeral homes are offering friends and relatives online live streaming of family-only memorial services.
• The Lexington County Blowfish Baseball Team is offering kids an April reading at home program with free game tickets as a reward. (More on page A3.)
• Gas prices plummeted to $1.35 a gallon.
• Home sales have slowed, but Coldwell Banker reported selling 250 Midlands area homes in the last 2 weeks.
The Chronicle office is closed, but we are working and welcome your news at JerryBellune@yahoo.com .