COLUMBIA — Recognizing that "people want their hair cut," Gov. Henry McMaster said Tuesday he could decide later this week when and how salons across South Carolina can reopen.Â
"I hope to be able to make an announcement on that as to guidelines and dates and removing restrictions next week and even possibly this week," he said following a meeting of his accelerateSC task force. "We need to be safe and sure, but people are ready."
In the meantime, residents can get a slew of information on the state's efforts to reboot the economy as the state's COVID-19 infections level off — including the reopening of state parks and patio dining, testing sites and business assistance — on accelerate.sc.gov.
The website, launched Tuesday, offers a "one-stop shop" for information, said Marcia Adams, director of the state Department of Administration, which McMaster tasked with creating the site. Â Â
Other information available includes guidance on face coverings, tips for managing stress, a list of the types of businesses still ordered to be closed and access to free online health care screenings. Â
The site will be continually updated, to include how the state is spending billions of dollars in federal relief, Adams said.
That includes $1.9 billion specifically to help state agencies and local governments. But that money, among more than two dozen pots of aid flowing to South Carolina, can't be used to simply plug budget holes caused by the loss of taxes, warned former Sen. Greg Ryberg, leading the panel advising McMaster on how to spend the aid.
The federal rules limit the reimbursement to COVID-19-related expenses between March and December, he explained. His panel plans to make recommendations in the coming weeks.
The task force is supposed to dissolve by the end of the month.
A day after patio dining became an option, as per Friday's order, McMaster said he will also decide soon when dine-in eating in restaurants can resume and other close-contact businesses can reopen.Â
"I get letters from ladies who are dying to go to the beauty parlor. Of course, we don’t want them to die when they go to the beauty parlor, that’s the thing," said the Republican governor, who's often noted he needs a haircut too. "The barbers, the hairdressers, the stylists, the restaurants are ready to open back up.
"The smaller the business, the more harm is being caused by this virus," he continued. "We need to move as quickly as we can and as safely as we can."
South Carolina's public health agency announced Tuesday that 93 people were newly diagnosed with COVID-19, bringing the total to 6,481 since early March. In all, 296 South Carolinians have died of the virus.Â
A sign left by management at the front door of Frank's Gentlemen's Salon in Mount Pleasant encourages customers to purchase gift cards Tuesday, May 5, 2020. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff
McMaster has already allowed the reopening of public beach accesses — though he let local officials make the final call on those — boat landings and smaller retail stores. Many stores never had to close.Â
Guidelines on reopening close-contact businesses are "coming right up," said Helen Hill, CEO of Explore Charleston, representing the accelerateSC panel focusing on workforce challenges.
The panel is coordinating with the state's commerce and public health agencies as well as the federal workplace safety agency, she said. Â
McMaster's announcement Friday on outdoor dining followed suggestions last week by the restaurant association. The panel also recommended allowing dine-in eating, with limitations such as table spacing, as early as May 11 and no later than May 18.
But the governor has not made a decision yet on larger-scale restaurant reopenings.
"Governor, you made some really happy people to be able to sit and enjoy a meal outside," said Hill. "Perhaps we can return to inside dining the week of May 11?"
Her panel is also working on recommendations for reopening attractions, such as museums and the South Carolina Aquarium, and fitness centers.Â
