COVID-19 Pandemic

Governor forced full virus disclosures

Jay Bender
Posted 4/23/20

This piece was going to criticize the Department of Health and Environmental Control. They had refused to release information about zip codes on covid-19 cases.

Fortunately, Gov. Henry McMaster …

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COVID-19 Pandemic

Governor forced full virus disclosures

Posted

This piece was going to criticize the Department of Health and Environmental Control. They had refused to release information about zip codes on covid-19 cases.
Fortunately, Gov. Henry McMaster directed DHEC to release information about where tests found covid-19.
That was a good call.
DHEC withheld information in the mistaken belief that our citizens couldn’t be trusted with that information.
DHEC justified its decision by a state statute that restricts the release of an individual’s “protected health information.”
Even the most superficial reading of the statute reveals that it provides no support for the DHEC position.
DHEC argued that if a zip code showed a low incidence of covid-19 citizens in that zip code would take less care to protect themselves. A more reasoned interpretation would be that testing has not been undertaken at a significant level in zip codes reporting lower incidences.
The public should be given information about the location, age, gender and race of those infected and who died.
We can handle the truth.
The Governor has been under pressure to order us to stay at home.
He initially resisted that call. His justification is that South Carolina is “different.” Our friends and neighbors will exercise protective measures on their own.
I don’t know what state Henry has in mind. It took years to get the General Assembly to require wearing seat belts.
Compliance is still spotty.
It is against the law to text and drive but it seemed a common practice.
We’re different in South Carolina because we willingly endanger ourselves and others just because we can.
I’ve been joking that the Governor didn’t want to issue the order because:
1. It would be disregarded by people willing to put themselves and us at risk.
This would make him appear ineffectual.
2. It would require closing gun stores.
Henry doesn’t want heat from his gun-toting base. Lines at gun stores suggest more are needed to guard hoarded toilet paper.
Gov. McMaster finally followed recommendations of epidemiologists,and immunologists and issued a stay-at-home order?
I have an elevated risk because I’m old.
I take the threat of a respiratory pandemic personally. My mother and her siblings were orphaned in the flu epidemic of 1918.
Many members of the McLain side of our family have died from the flu and other lung ailments. My wife and I have been sheltering in place for 4 weeks now and expect to do so until the curve flattens.
This virus isn’t partisan.
 

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