South Carolina's economy has many sectors and thousands of businesses, but restaurants are among its most numerous, best known and most beloved. That's why Gov. Henry McMaster's executive order Tuesday to prevent them from welcoming patrons inside is both a sensible step in preventing COVID-19's spread and also a grim milestone of how quickly our daily life is changing.
Parts of South Carolina's economy have been put on hold as the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic spreads, and Charleston is likely to feel…
The difficult decision also places restaurants near the forefront as far as grappling with the economic fallout from the expanding coronavirus crisis. That was underscored when two companies with several restaurants in Charleston — Indigo Road and the Neighborhood Dining Group — together announced plans to lay off about 1,600 workers.
We hope the federal stimulus package now in the works might alter those plans or at least give such employees some monetary relief to help get them through until they can regain their jobs or other employment. They are exactly the sort of workers in need of help the most.
It's important to note that Gov. McMaster's order affects only dine-in service. It still permits delivery and carry-out services. Some restaurants, though certainly not all, will continue to serve food in this way, and we should try to support them. In addition to providing help to a critical local industry in need of it, this also could help take the full load off of our grocery stores, which already show signs of strain.
The statewide order quickly cleared up what was becoming a confusing patchwork of local rules for restaurants.
At the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, restaurants rushed to reassure customers via social media that its employees were fastidiously cleaning everything in sight, in keeping with the state’s health codes and restaurants’ own sanitation standards. But what does that mean exactly?
Earlier Tuesday, North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey recommended people to limit group interactions to 10 people or fewer. The day before, Charleston City Council passed an emergency ordinance to prohibit indoor gatherings of more than 50 people, including restaurants and church services. Not long after that passed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its recommended gathering maximum from 50 to 10. Other cities and towns were finding their own way forward amid shifting state and federal advice.
Charleston should be commended for taking the boldest step forward before Mr. McMaster's order. The action reflects the reality that it is the state's largest city and has some of the greatest density, prime territory for the coronavirus to spread. It also is home to some of the state's largest hospitals, which could become inundated with patients if governments and citizens don't take such precautions to prevent a large-scale outbreak.
Even though restaurants have the option of serving carryout, we should note that's no cure-all. Steve Palmer, managing partner of The Indigo Road, put it this way: "None of us really believe $500 a day is going to move the needle," adding that he already has alerted his King Street landlord that his rent will be late so he can pay his employees first. Even if they are helped by the federal stimulus package, local and state governments also should consider how they could help by deferring or even forgiving sales, liquor and hospitality taxes, much like Charleston County and City councils already have decided to do with hotels, which agreed to suspend collection of accommodations taxes for 90 days.
The S.C. House passed a state budget last week that included $128 million for income tax rebates that Gov. Henry McMaster had requested. The n…
The city of Charleston also moved Wednesday to shut down all paid tour permits, essentially placing carriage tours, walking tours and vehicular tours in the same boat as restaurants.
Again, it's natural to ask if this is all overreacting, but we don’t think so. Anyone who doubts the wisdom of all this should read a new analysis by ProPublica based on data from The Harvard Global Health Institute of how U.S. hospitals could fare based on the speed of COVID-19's spread. Charleston's hospitals wouldn't reach capacity if the infection rate here remains under 20 percent over an 18-month span. That changes if the rate is higher or quicker than that. That's why it's important to make these difficult but wise actions now to protect the health of all of us.