What does Partial Lockdown in South Carolina Mean?

South Carolina has become the latest state in the United States to enforce the stay-at-home order, which is officially being called the “home or work order”. The rule is similar to other state’s partial lockdown order that is now mandatory for all its residents to follow and is not a request anymore. Any violation will attract penalties like 30 days in prison and/or a fine of $100 per violation as South Carolina has already reported over 2,200 active COVID-19 cases with nearly 48 fatalities. The partial lockdown has come into effect on April 7 and should continue until further notice. Here is what it means.

Go out for work or stay at home

Governor Henry McMaster clarified that the home or work order in South Carolina means that you can now only go out of your house for essential work. All non-essential travel will be treated as violations. You are to work from your home and only go out if it is not possible. Even in work, you are required to follow the social distancing guidelines that the whole of the United States has been following and maintain a minimum distance of 6 feet from your coworkers.

Only essential businesses will remain open

That includes groceries, pharmacies, car servicing, and more. Retails like home furnishing, clothing, florists, jewelry, sporting goods, and book shops have been ordered to shut down. Before the home or work order was enforced, Gov. McMaster had already directed entertainment, recreational and athletic facilities to shut shop where contact service is essential to keep the business running.

Maintain social distancing at shops

The home or work order also issues guidelines as to how people should be shopping in the essential retails. No more than 5 customers will be allowed to form a gathering within 1,000 square feet of the office space. Also, the business owners must ensure that they allow only 20% of customers to enter of their maximum capacity. The Family Auto car dealership in Anderson, South Carolina, was already maintaining online processing of its used car sales. In view of the latest order, the dealership will continue to upgrade its minimum-contact service where customers will only be coming in for signing papers and taking delivery.

Some essential travels will not attract penalties

McMaster has listed a number of essential travels, apart from going to work, that will not attract a penalty. You can go out of your house to seek medical care, fulfill legal obligations, take care of a pet in another apartment, visit a family member, attend a religious service or participate in outdoor recreation in your yard. Again, social distancing norms must be maintained during all these essential activities along with close attention towards personal hygiene.

In all, the new home or work order is only a mandatory extension of the existing norms. No drastic modification has yet been enforced. You can still buy used cars in Anderson, South Carolina. You can still go to work. Your travels, however, will be monitored now and the guidelines are now rules. South Carolina has gone into partial lockdown for our own safety.