City of Charleston coronavirus March 17 PM update
March 18, 2020
The city of Charleston remains at OPCON 2, with modified operations designed to limit in-person contact.
According to SC DHEC, there are now 47 positive cases of coronavirus in South Carolina, three of which tested positive in Charleston County. For the latest on testing and monitoring in South Carolina, visit https://www.scdhec.gov/monitoring-testing-covid-19.
Charleston City Council met at 5:30 p.m. this evening and received updates from Emergency Management on the city’s efforts to mitigate impacts and to ensure continued city operations in a safe environment. Council will continue to meet daily at 5:30 p.m. by phone for updates.
At a separate meeting earlier in the day, County and City officials agreed to defer collection of accommodations and hospitality taxes for 90 days.
Municipal Court jury and bench trials have been postponed. For details, please visit the Municipal Court website here: https://www.charleston-sc.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=807
There will be a telephonic emergency Public Safety Committee meeting tomorrow, March 18 at 2 p.m. to discuss the implementation of the Emergency Ordinances put into effect on March 16 related to COVID-19. The dial-in is: 1-800-747-5150; access code: 7243729#.
In a press conference yesterday, Mayor Tecklenburg asked those who would to join him, members of the Mayor’s Clergy Advisory Council and the local faith community in a Day of Prayer on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, as people around the world continue to respond to the impacts of the coronavirus.
The prayer event will be symbolic and “virtual” in nature, with no physical assembly occurring. Instead, clergy asks citizens of faith to offer prayers from their homes and to share their prayer experiences on social media and other online platforms. Prayers written for this observance by three members of the Mayor’s Clergy Advisory Council–The Reverend Dr. Krystal Sears of Greater St. Luke AME Church, The Rabbi Yossi Refson of the Center for Jewish Life – Chabad of Charleston and The Reverend Rich Robinson of the Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy—are available here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1sAwanQjP-AasuXJdpjCUjD3QvOjoByfg.
Finally, the city joins the federal and state governments in urging citizens to continue following CDC guidelines (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html) closely, and to monitor trusted news sources for important alerts and information related to the virus.
