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Spike in COVID-19 cases in South Carolina leads to questions

ROCK HILL, S.C. — South Carolina is considered a hot spot for new coronavirus cases, trailing Arizona and Florida in cases per population since the start of June.

The state is struggling for answers about how to bring those numbers down as health officials say people aren't doing enough to slow the spread of the virus.

Gov. Henry McMaster pushed individual responsibility at a June 10 news conference as the only way to see the numbers of COVID-19 cases level off.

McMaster said he won't mandate wearing masks and won't shut down the state's businesses again.

That's good news to many people, such as Meghan Hardesty, who said she treats the virus like any other problem.

"It's a new world now, so you've got to figure out how to do it," she said. "I was fine with them opening up. In fact, I wanted them to open up as quickly as possible. I wasn't really on board with them closing down in the first place."

Retailers no longer have to limit customers in stores, and most businesses have returned to regular hours while the state sees record new cases, and the curve is anything but flat right now.

New COVID-19 cases in South Carolina topped 1,000 on Friday, Saturday, and again Monday. These daily numbers are triple what they were a month ago.

What's most concerning for state health officials is that 16.1% tested positive this weekend, which is up from 8% a month ago. Hospital bed use for coronavirus patients is also increasing by 38% from 429 patients on May 21 to 692 on June 21.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said the spike is not linked to more testing but more lax behavior from the public.

The age group that's seen the largest increase this month is between 21 and 30 years old.

There have been 659 deaths related to the virus. The latest projections from DHEC predict 2,853 deaths by Oct. 1.

Beyond encouraging social distancing and good hygiene, state leaders have said it's up to people to slow down the spread.

John Howle said he'll keep wearing a mask when he goes out in public.

“For me, I’m wearing a mask to protect other people, because there’s many times I’m standing in line someplace and somebody elderly comes and stands right beside me,” he said.

Howle is a pastor, and he requires masks for those attending his church.