Little Suzie comes home and tells you her teacher did not come to school today.
Your best friend has a daughter in Suzie’s class. She calls and asks if you knew several teachers at the school were listed as infected by the virus.
How does she know this?
She says she read it on the Chronicle’s website. 
It listed the school as having 5 or less faculty covid-19 cases.
“Oh, no,” you think. “Did Suzie just bring covid-19 into our home. Is everyone in our family going to be infected with it? What can we do about it.”
That’s the question many Lexington County parents are asking themselves right now.

The Department of Health & Environmental Control has started reporting faculty and student cases in the state’s schools.
We commend them for that. But what we question is why they won’t tell us specifically how many cases there are.
They say they are following standard reporting practice. If 5 or fewer cases are involved, they won’t give us a specific number. If more than 5, they say they will be more specific.
They claim they are protecting privacy. But who’s privacy are we talking about? And who – such as the rest of us and our children – may be in danger for lack of critical information.

Rep. Chip Huggins joined the Chronicle in appealing to the governor’s office the withholding of vital information.  
This is not the 1st time DHEC has refused to release information the public should have.
Early in the  covid-19 pandemic, we asked DHEC to let us tell the community how many cases and deaths were being reported by county and zip code.’
They refused – until Gov. Henry McMastet stepped in and told them to make this data public.
You would think state health officials might learn from past mistakes. Not so – again.
DHEC’s actions have already made many people suspicious of their motives. What else are they hiding and why?
What’s your opinion? Should DHEC tell us the truth?
Please email us your views to JerryBellune@yahoo.com