COVID-19: How cops from York, Lancaster, Chester counties enforce SC stay-at-home order
Police in York, Chester and Lancaster counties have given verbal warnings in connection with South Carolina’s ban on large gatherings and stay-at-home orders, but so far have made no arrests.
The emergency orders were issued by S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster to stop the spread of coronavirus, and slow the COVID-19 positive case pandemic. State and local officials say they believe the public is following the orders, which health experts believe are essential to slowing the spread.
Dr. Brannon Traxler, a physician with DHEC, said Monday the projected peak of the virus in South Carolina has “come down some” due to people’s compliance with the mandates and social distancing. Traxler said the peak is estimated to hit in late April or early May.
New projections released by DHEC show South Carolina could report up to 2,000 new COVID-19 cases per week by early May, with the number of projected statewide cases rising rise to 8,677 on May 2.
“There still is time for people to continue to do these things or to start doing them, if they weren’t doing them before,” Traxler said. “The message really needs to be that we are seeing evidence that it’s working, so keep going.”
After McMaster banned gatherings of more than three people, then issued a “home or work” order — which allows people to go to work, visit family, exercise outside and buy necessary goods or services — the decision to cite or arrest anyone in violation was left in the hands of law enforcement agencies.
Under South Carolina law, a cited violation is a misdemeanor.
Jeff Vissage, an officer with the S.C. Department of Natural resources in York County whose division patrols Lake Wylie, said his agency has issued about 100 verbal warnings. Most of those were shortly after the emergency law was enacted, Vissage said. No citations or arrests were made, Vissage said.
Rock Hill police have broken up several cookouts and other activities without any citations or arrests required, said Lt. Michael Chavis.
“We are still getting calls about gatherings, and responding to those calls, but we have been able to handle these situations without any tickets or arrests,” Chavis said. “The presence of law enforcement at the scene has been enough so far to break up the gatherings.”
Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office deputies have encountered several groups of people who appeared to violate the gathering and stay-at-home orders, but dispersed the people without any arrests or citations, said office spokesman Doug Barfield.
“Several times we have had to approach groups of people to remind them to disperse, and so far people have been cooperative and done so,” Barfield said.
In March, deputies with the York County Sheriff’s Office arrested two people for felony looting under the emergency laws but haven’t issued any citations for violations of the gathering or stay-at-home orders, said office spokesman Trent Faris.
“We have spoken to a handful of people, but nothing to the point of having to document an incident,” Faris said. “People have been cooperative with complying with the law.”
Charles Yearta, acting chief of the Winthrop University Police Department, said his officers have had to issue several warnings for gathering ban violations at night, but have not made any arrests or written any tickets.
Police in Fort Mill, Clover, York, Tega Cay, along with the Chester County Sheriff’s Office, have not reported issuing any citations or making any arrests for violations of the ban.
At a press conference Monday, McMaster said state officials have seen evidence that people across South Carolina are complying with the mandates and it’s important that they continue to do so. He said he trusts that law enforcement officers across the state are properly enforcing the mandates.
“We have the best law enforcement in the whole country, I think,” McMaster said. “They’ve got a lot of common sense and if somebody wants to test them, I’m sure they’ll find law enforcement equal to the task...We want everybody to use good common sense and be a good neighbor and if they do that, then we’ll get out of this. ”
This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 4:36 PM.
