Coronavirus latest: Lancaster, Chester mark record for most cases identified in one day
Lancaster and Chester counties added their highest daily number of coronavirus cases to date in the pandemic, South Carolina health officials announced Tuesday.
Lancaster County added 29 cases, for a total of 465, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control. Prior to Tuesday, the county’s highest number of cases was 27, which Lancaster County reported for the second time on Thursday.
Darren Player, Lancaster County emergency management director, said county officials have received little information from DHEC on why the cases continue to jump in the county, which had been reporting cases in the single digits in April and May.
“We have community spread but have not been given information from DHEC about where the source is,” Player said.
Across the state, DHEC identified 1,741 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, marking a record for the most cases of COVID-19 identified in one day. The previous record was 1,599 cases, which was set on Saturday.
The state’s overall total of infections is now 36,297.
Why are cases spiking in Chester County?
A day after Chester City Council voted to pass a citywide ordinance requiring people wear face masks in public, the county added 12 cases, which marks the highest number of cases reported to date, for a total of 184, according to DHEC.
The county usually adds less than five new cases a day, according to official state numbers.
Chester County Emergency Management Director Eddie Murphy said county officials are aware that Tuesday’s 12 positive cases are the most for a single day in the county since the pandemic began.
Murphy said the public needs to adhere to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s and DHEC’s guidelines asking people wear masks and social distance.
“We have people whose lifestyles are putting them together and our numbers are going up in Chester and in South Carolina,” Murphy said. “This is going to take responsibility on the part of people to do their part.”
Murphy said he agrees with the City of Chester’s decision Monday night to enact a mask requirement.
Chester County as a whole has not addressed masks as a matter of ordinance or mandate, but Murphy and County Supervisor Shane Stuart have publicly stated for weeks that masks should be worn in public.
Will York County consider a mask requirement?
York County added 47 new cases of coronavirus Tuesday and now has had 1,203 cases confirmed since the pandemic started, according to DHEC.
York County Council member William “Bump” Roddey has led the push in York County to make masks in public mandatory, but county officials have so far only agreed that masks should be recommended. So far, no other York County Council members have publicly called for a mask requirement.
York County Council member Joel Hamilton said Tuesday York County management and council need to have a public conversation about a potential mask requirement.
Hamilton, a lawyer and former York County Republican Party Chairman, said he has questions about the enforceability of such a requirement. He also said he is “very concerned” about whether there is an adequate supply of masks for the county’s nearly 281,000 residents if a requirement were made mandatory.
“We do not want to impact people who may not be able to go purchase masks,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton said he feels very strongly about individual freedoms, but the issue requires a “hard look” because of the public safety and health concerns and the possibility of those without masks negatively affecting the quality of life of others.
COVID-19 deaths
State health officials also identified 19 more people who died after contracting the virus, bringing the state’s death toll up to 735.
On Monday, 9,174 tests were conducted statewide, with 19% having positive results, DHEC reported. Since March, labs across the state have completed 420,061 tests.
Hospitals across the state are at about 72% of capacity. Of the 7,620 beds in use across the state on Tuesday, DHEC officials said 1,021 were occupied by coronavirus patients or those who are suspected of having COVID-19.
Hospitals in York County are at 79% capacity and Lancaster County hospitals are at about 44% capacity, according to DHEC.
Cases by ZIP code
As of Monday night, there are cases in the following ZIP codes:
York County
- 29704 - 13
- 29708 - 152
- 29710 - 160
- 29715 - 149
- 29717 - 5
- 29730 - 272
- 29732 - 288
- 29745 - 126
Lancaster County
- 29058 - 16
- 29067 - 42
- 29707 - 82
- 29720 - 347
Chester County
- 29014 - 16
- 29055 - 47
- 29706 - 73
- 29712 - 13
- 29714 - 25
This story was originally published June 30, 2020 at 4:23 PM.
