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HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT CORONAVIRUS? VISIT BEAUFORTMEMORIAL.ORG FOR CURRENT INFO AND UPDATES
MARCH 26–APRIL 1, 2020 WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Coronavirus: 2 Parris Island Marines test positive By Mike McCombs Two Marines stationed at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island have tested positive for COVID-19 novel coronavirus, Capt. Bryan McDonnell, Communications Strategy and operations Director for MCRD Parris Island, announced on Tuesday, March 24.
According to McDonnell’s email, the Marines tested positive last week. Already in quarantine when they were notified, they remain in isolation at their residences, in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. According to McDonnell, the Marines followed official guidance by
reporting to a medical provider upon showing symptoms and were quickly screened and immediately isolated. Both Marines work in offices independent and separate from recruit training locations, McDonnell said in an email, and there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 among drill instructors or recruits at this time.
According to McDonnell’s email, the command conducted a deliberate and thorough contact investigation in accordance with the precautionary measures outlined in service-level, Department of Defense and CDC guidance to protect the community. Personnel with whom the service members
identified as being in close contact were quickly notified, and as directed by health professionals, are in self-quarantine and will receive follow-on medical assessment. All work spaces of involved personnel were also thoroughly decon-
SEE MARINES PAGE A4
We’re all in this together
BILLY KEYSERLING
Beaufort can and must be better, please
Governor keeps schools closed through April
Restaurants and bars impacted by shutdown adapt, hold on, pray they can get through crisis
Confirmed cases rise to 22 in Beaufort County, 342 in state; death toll remains at 5 By Mike McCombs As the number of confirmed COVID-19 novel coronavirus cases in South Carolina continues to rise, Gov. Henry McMaster on Tuesday released a joint statement with S.C. Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announcing that schools would remain closed through the month of April. “At this time, students, parents, and families should plan for South Carolina’s schools to remain closed through the month of April. Our dedicated teachers and school administrators have
Ignoring social distancing order puts our entire community at risk
H
ello Beaufort and friends, I hope all are faring well. I am physically fine and am protecting myself (and others I might otherwise spend time with) by limiting physical contact to my girlfriend, key city staff, my Vespa and my small boat. But I must say my mind is boggled by what I see happening around the world, including our special hometown. Following selfish whims, by refusing to respect others, some of us are putting our community at even greater risk, conceivably extending – rather than ending – the health risk of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. A Water Festival-like party Saturday on the sandbar set me off because it demonstrates seemingly selfish people’s disregard for the health and safety of
SEE BETTER PAGE A6 EDITOR’S NOTE This column was taken with permission from City of Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling’s regular email newsletter. S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster addressed Keyserling’s complaints during his Monday afternoon news conference in Columbia.
SEE SENATE PAGE A6
Madelyn Feeney, manager at Hearth Wood Fire Pizza on Bay Street, gives a customer his order of pizza and chicken wings. Hearth offers curbside and drop-in service only. Feeney said the restaurant has consistently had about 75 meals ordered per day.Photo by Bob Sofaly. By Mindy Lucas t came like a thunderclap on a clear, blue-sky day. At 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, as those in the restaurant and bar business were preparing for the dinner shift or happy hour,
I
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster ordered all bars and restaurants to close their in-house dining services to combat the coronavirus outbreak. And the closures were to begin the next day. “It was a big hit,” said Jenni-
FEELING SICK OR HAVING SYMPTOMS? If you’re feeling sick or are concerned you may have COVID-19, call your primary care physician or urgent care center, or use Beaufort Memorial Hospital’s telemedicine service, before showing up in person. BMH Care Anywhere is available in the App Store, on Google Play and at www. bmhcareanywhere.org. For more information about COVID-19 guidelines, testing criteria and self-isolation instructions visit www. scdhec.gov/health/ infectious-diseases or www.cdc.gov/coronavirus. Members of the public who would like information related to COVID-19 may also contact the DHEC Care Line at (855) 4723432. A triage nurse will be available to provide guidance.
fer Mader, who manages Hearth Wood Fire Pizza, along with Plums and Saltus River Grill in Beaufort. “We’re all feeling hit.” Mader said while she had a feel-
SEE TOGETHER PAGE A5
‘SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT’
In wake of restaurant closures, other businesses also affected or fear they might be next
By Mindy Lucas Nan Sutton has had to get creative. The Bay Street retailer who owns Lulu Burgess was looking for a way to showcase her store’s latest
KEEPING KIDS FED
offerings – from stuffed Easter bunnies to colorful puzzles – and thought why not do a virtual tour. “I just thought, you know what, we’re going to have to adapt,” she said.
For businesses like Sutton’s that normally rely on the personal touch or in-person experience, adapting seems to be the operative word. Adapting to less foot
traffic. Adapting to social distancing. Adapting to uncertain economic times. So Sutton, who is no
SEE BUSINESS PAGE A4
ADOPT A PET
INSIDE
Beaufort County School District revises free student meal distribution.
Companionship benefits people, pets during COVID-19 shutdown.
PAGE A6
PAGE A8
Lowcountry Life A2 News A2-4 Legal Notice A4 Coronavirus Update A4-6 Education A6
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ISLAND NEWS PUBLISHING, LLC
LOWCOUNTRY LIFE & NEWS PUBLISHERS NOTE
Dear Readers and Advertisers,
To say the past few weeks have been difficult and confusing would be an understatement. We have seen the coronavirus pandemic evolve from an overseas phenomenon to something that has closed businesses in our community and caused Beaufortonians to shutter themselves in their homes. Our beloved Southern home, with its easy friendliness, has become a place of wary caution. A place where grim, determined people tramp through grocery stores searching for that last package of toilet paper or hand sanitizer necessary to complete their stockpile of provisions for the onslaught from the invisible pathogen. Businesses have closed along with most local government offices. Restaurants have adopted a take-out only policy with curbside service so patrons don’t have to cross the threshold. And the rumor mill is churning. How many locals have gotten sick, which group is selfishly ignoring the warnings from healthcare professionals and infectious disease specialists, etc. Most of all though,
I think the people of Beaufort want a place where they can get reliable information about how this is affecting their home, neighbors and friends. The Island News is committed to providing local news throughout this crisis, as always, and will do so while making the health and safety of our staff our top priority. We’re also committed to continuing to provide this news for free. We feel blessed to be a part of the Beaufort community and fortunate to have been embraced by so many of you; we even deliver our weekly effort to thousands of locals’ homes at no charge. We believe this is what it means to be a true community newspaper. But, as such, we hope that we can rely on our community as well. To continue to provide an income for our small staff – about 10 of us produce and deliver six publications per month – and pay expenses from printing to rent, we must rely upon your patronage. If you’re a business owner trying to get new information to your customers and think we can help during the new normal, please let us know. We also understand the realities of
the digital community and what social media and the internet can provide, helping people connect even more in this new age. We’ve been updating our website – YourIslandNews.com – and social media sites multiple times daily to provide the latest information available, and will be adding more capabilities to our current digital presence in the near future. We’re a part of the Beaufort community. We see you on the street and in the grocery store. Like many of you, we’re a small business. Like you, we’re struggling to understand what’s happening now, and to behave in a way that honors and protects everyone around us. We know we will make it through to the other side – bruised maybe, but certainly not beaten. Thank you for letting us be part of your community, of our community. And thank you for letting us serve you. Recently, we’ve been signing off, “Clean hands, brave hearts!” It seems like an appropriate motto these days. Jeff & Margaret Evans Publishers
PUBLISHERS
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FOUNDING PUBLISHERS Elizabeth Harding Newberry Kim Harding
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A.G. Harry Bergsma, of Coldstream, Ontario, and his wife visit the Beaufort area each winter and stay on Fripp Island. Enjoying the wildlife and always making an effort to take photos, Bergsma nabbed a picture of a group of newborn alligators. Bergsma said the “mother was close by and you could hear the squealing of some of the little ones.” To submit a Lowcountry Life photo, you must be the photographer or have permission to submit the photo to be published in The Island News. Please submit high-resolution photos and include a description and/or names of the people in the picture and the name of the photographer. Email your photos to theislandnews@gmail.com.
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843-641-9478
PAL PETS OF THE WEEK Cat of the Week: Lilly is such a beautiful girl. She is new to us and has already let us know how adorable she is. Lilly is 9 years old with years of love to give. Lilly is also the newest member to our silver paws club, meaning she is one of the wisest cats we have. She does well with other cats, and would enjoy a feline friend. She is spayed, microchipped, and up to date on vaccinations.
Dog of the Week: Ginger is looking for a socialization foster. All of her babies went on an exciting transport to New York last weekend and she needs some TLC. She needs someone who can give her patience, love, and kindness. Poor Ginger has not seen much love in her life before coming to us. If you are interested in fostering Ginger, please email sally@palmettoanimalleague. org or call 843-645-1725.
Meet these and other pets from noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday at the Palmetto Animal League Adoption Center. Email us at info@ palmettoanimalleague.org or call 843-645-1725 for more information.
LITTLE LEPRECHAUNS
MAILING ADDRESS PO Box 550 Beaufort, SC 29901 WEBSITE YourIslandNews.com FACEBOOK facebook.com/TheIslandNews DEADLINE Press releases & advertising – noon on Friday for the next week’s paper. DISCLAIMER
St. Patrick’s Day turned out to be a busy one at the Beaufort Memorial Collins Birthing Center, as a parade of wee little ones arrived in quick order: Caleb Rosales at 5:08 a.m. (top left); Jacobo Rey at 7:44 a.m. (top right): Ella Grace Floyd at 8:06 a.m. (bottom left); and Theo Heath at 10:40 a.m. (bottom right). All lucky to be #BornInBeaufort, Caleb and Ella Grace are Beaufort's newest residents, while Jacobo and Theo are Bluffton boys. Photos by Charlotte Berkeley. A2
MARCH 26–APRIL 1, 2020
Unless otherwise credited, all content of The Island News, including articles, photos, editorial content, letters, art and advertisements, is copyrighted by The Island News and Island News Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved. The Island News encourages reader submissions via email to theislandnews@gmail.com. All content submitted is considered approved for publication by the owner unless otherwise stated. The Island News is designed to inform and entertain readers; all efforts for accuracy are made. The Island News provides a community forum for news, events, straight talk opinions and advertisements. The Island News reserves the right to refuse to sell advertising space, or to publish information, for any business or activity the newspaper deems inappropriate for the publication.
OUR DOCTORS. In good times and bad, our doctors are foundational to our wellness and our well-being. In this time like no other, they’re something more besides. They’re the men and women whose judgment and skill and humanity will quell our uncertainty and quiet our fears. From the first four general practitioners to the 160 medical and surgical specialists now on staff at our not-for-profit hospital, our doctors have enabled us to offer residents of the Lowcountry care of the highest quality for more than 75 years. Monday marks the observance of Doctors’ Day, a tradition started March 30, 1933, in Winder, Georgia, by the Barrow County Auxiliary to recognize doctors for their dedication to saving lives. Twenty-five years later, a resolution commemorating Doctors’ Day was adopted by the United States House of Representatives, and in 1990 National Doctors’ Day was officially established by Congress.
Never have we at Beaufort Memorial been more
grateful to our exemplary doctors or prouder to salute them than on this Doctors’ Day.
MARCH 26–APRIL 1, 2020
A3
NEWS & CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
Business from page A1
stranger to social media, has begun shooting videos that detail her store’s merchandise. She’s also offering to mail or ship purchases to customers or can take phone orders for those who see something they like in the videos and want to run by the store for a quick pick up – all done at a distance of course. “My first instinct was if they can’t come in, I’m going to come to them,” Sutton said. At Beaufort’s downtown marina where tourists are normally seen queuing up for a carriage tour, business has been slow or nonexistent, said Rose White, owner and operator of Southurn Rose Buggy Tours. As White explains, hers and other horsedrawn tour companies work with bigger travel and tour companies who will book White’s tours in Beaufort anywhere from six months to a year in advance as part of a traveler’s tour package. March through May is the tour company’s busiest time of the year. “About 48 percent of our business comes from those three months,” she said. “You make your money at a certain time, and then you have to make it last for the rest of the year and to pay all your bills.” But last week, things for Southurn Rose started to unravel. “I had 75 buses to cancel in about a week’s time,” she said. The company, which has been in business for 20 years, has never not had a spring, she said. “We are totally in shock over this whole thing. It’s like one day we had a good season planned, we were training employees, everything was going smoothly, and then the next day the door is shut.” Early on, they tried to adapt by having tourists sit apart on the carriages or riding with just members of their own party, but it’s been difficult, she said. Walk-in bookings are down since there are hardly any tourists in town, and with no riders, they can’t send carriages out. White has already to had to lay off three employees and is now playing it “day by day” fearful that if hers and other tourism-related business like hers don’t make it through the spring, they may not return when the outbreak subsides. In the last four years, we've had a hurricane every year, but we’ve survived,” she said, adding that at least with a hurricane, there’s an end in sight. “But this? This isn’t like anything we’ve ever seen before,” she said. “This is something completely different and we don’t know how long it’s going last.”
LEGAL NOTICE
City of Beaufort NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Historic District Review Board Proposed Demolition: 905 Port Republic Street The City of Beaufort Historic District Review Board (HRB) will conduct a public hearing in order to review demolition of the structure located at 905 Port Republic Street, on parcel R121 004 000 0859 0000. The HRB meeting will be held in the first floor conference room at City Hall, 1911 Boundary Street, Beaufort, SC at 2:00 P.M. on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. Interested persons are invited to attend the public hearing and to comment on the proposed demolition. Documents relating to this request are available for public inspection between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. Monday through Friday at the City of Beaufort Plan-ning Department, 1911 Boundary Street. Written comments can also be submitted prior to the hearing to the City of Beaufort Planning Department, 1911 Boundary Street, Beaufort, SC 29902. Note: If you have special needs due to a physical challenge, please call (843) 5257011 for additional information.
Beaufort Eye Center spares no precautions
Elizabeth Smith of the Beaufort Eye Center tapes a warning to the entrance of the practice stipulating that they if they meet certain criteria, their appointment may be rescheduled. Photos by Bob Sofaly.
Personal Care Services • Bathing & Hygiene • Walking & Mobility • Transfer & Posture • Meal Prep & Special Diets • Eating Assistance
Remain Independent at Home 1 Professional Drive Suite 2 • Port Royal 843-605-9140 www.Beaufort.FirstLightHomeCare.com A4
MARCH 26–APRIL 1, 2020
rus. All staff members, including office employees, wear masks and gloves and never touch a patient. Some patients wait in a small waiting room if they need medical eye drops – every other chair is turned backwards to promote “social distancing” of about 4 feet. Once a patient leaves the waiting room, a staff member comes in with a fresh Clorox wipe and gives the chair a good rub down. Once the patient has seen the doctor, he or she is escorted out the building while doors are opened for them, preventing them from touching anything.
Latoya Lynard, office manger at the Beaufort Eye Center in Port Dr. Jane Kokinakis, right, works at her computer, while her assistant Courtney Bishop Royal, has her temperature taken. The first sign of coronavirus types in her notes as they help a patient at the Beaufort Eye Center in Port Royal. infection is a fever and sniffles.
Marines from page A1
taminated. McDonnell also said that, like the rest of the community, MCRD Parris Island has individuals pursuing tests and those who are in
self-quarantine following travel. The admission that Marines on Parris Island had tested positive came seven days after a U.S. Marine assigned to a command stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort tested positive for COVID-19 at Beaufort Memorial Hospital on March 17 after returning from leave in Califor-
CLOSINGS, CANCELLATIONS AND POSTPONEMENTS *As of press time, Tuesday, March 24 City, County and Federal Offices/ Departments The following are closed through March 31: • Beaufort County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Department • Beaufort County Animal Shelter • Beaufort County Assessor’s Office • Beaufort County Auditor • Beaufort County Business License Department • Beaufort County Detention Center (all visitations are suspended until further notice) • Beaufort County Disabilities and Special Needs Department (all non-essential programming) • Beaufort County Parks and Recreation (all facilities and pools) • Beaufort County Probate Court (closed to in-person access, except for filing of documents, making payments or emergency hearings not held by video or telephone conference) • Beaufort County Public Libraries • Beaufort County Records Management • Beaufort County Register of Deeds and Public Deed Room • Beaufort County Treasurer’s Office • Beaufort County Veterans Affairs Office • Beaufort Magistrate Court • Beaufort Municipal Court (cases canceled through March 26) • Reconstruction Era National Historical Park Visitor Center • 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office (operating virtually) Public Meetings The following have been canceled unless otherwise noted by reschedule date: • Beaufort County Council Meetings will continue but residents are encouraged to watch online or via The County Channel • Beaufort County Design Review Board April 2 meeting • Beaufort County District Meetings for
Maintain Your Dignity
By Bob Sofaly Like most Beaufort businesses and medical practices, the Beaufort Eye Center on Ribaut Road was trying to be as ready as possible for the coronavirus threat. This past week, patients were greeted in the parking lot by staff members wearing masks and rubber gloves and asked a series of questions regarding the health and any recent travels to countries being ravaged by the virus. Once called in, their external body temperature is taken from their forehead as they stand where documents taped to the walls and windows tell them of the dangers of the vi-
NEWS BRIEFS
Daufuskie Ferry service streamlined
Beginning Wednesday, March 25, the Daufuskie Island Ferry Service has reduced public ferry transit operations to two daily round trips to minimize opportunities to spread COVID-19 in the community: • Morning departure to Daufuskie Island at 7 a.m. (from Buckingham Landing) and returning from the island at 8:30 a.m. • Afternoon departure to Daufuskie Island at 4 p.m. (from Buckingham Landing) and returning from the island at 5:30 p.m. Additionally, the 9 p.m. run on Fridays is canceled. This reduced schedule will remain in effect until further notice. Updates will be
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nia, according the MCAS Beaufort spokesperson 1st Lt. Kevin Buss. According to Buss on March 20, the Marine is in isolation at their residence and will receive follow-on medical assessment. According to Buss, no additional precautions were required due to this case. The Marine did
Council Members Chris Hervochon and York Glover (postponed/ TBA) Beaufort County’s Historic Preservation Review Board, Airports Board and Southern Beaufort County Corridor Beautification Board Beaufort County Open Land Trust Annual Meeting (postponed/TBA) Beaufort County School Board (all March meetings) Cat Island Community Meeting (postponed/ TBA) City of Beaufort (all public meetings except council meetings are canceled; live city council meetings can be viewed on the city’s Facebook page) City parks (closed to public events and programming; parks will be open for passive recreation, such as walking or jogging) Mossy Oaks Task Force Meeting
Schools and Universities The following are closed through March 31: • Beaufort County School District – all schools • Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools at Laurel Bay • Lowcountry Montessori School • St. Peter’s Catholic School • Technical College of the Lowcountry • University of South Carolina Beaufort classes will transition to online instruction starting March 23 and will run through April 5; residence halls closed through April 5 Community Events and Performances The following have been canceled unless otherwise noted by reschedule date: • AMIKids Croquet Picnic Fundraiser at Brays Island • Beaufort Twilight Run • Coastal Stage Productions’ “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” at AmVets • Coastal Stage Productions’ “Always A Bridesmaid” at AmVets (rescheduled for May 22-24) • Family Promise of Beaufort’s “A Night of Promise” (rescheduled for Oct. 29) • Great Helicopter Egg Drop at Beaufort Academy • Soft Shell Crab Festival • Taste of Beaufort
posted at www.daufuskieislandferry.com. Direct questions to the ferry operator at administrator@DaufuskieIslandFerry.com or 843-940-7704.
Marines to conduct live-fire training
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island will be conducting extended live-fire training from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday, March 31. The marsh and waterways in the range impact area – including Archers Creek, Ribbon Creek and Edding Creek – will be closed to boater traffic. For questions regarding firing times and
not come aboard MCAS Beaufort between returning from leave and being placed into isolation. There was another Marine awaiting test results on MCAS Beaufort, according to Buss, but he/she has tested negative. According to Buss on Tuesday, other Marines have been tested and are waiting for results.
• USC Beaufort’s Center for the Arts (all events, author luncheons, Monday movie nights, Met Opera live in HD, Women’s Wellness Weekend, rehearsals, auditions and performances through April 5 are cancelled and will be rescheduled as soon as possible) Museums • Beaufort History Museum and Visitors Center at The Arsenal • John Mark Verdier House Museum Sporting Events/ Outdoor Recreation • Adaptive Golf March Monthly Clinic • Carolinas Classic All-Star Basketball games • First Tee of the Lowcountry (all lessons canceled until further notice) • High school sporting events (spring sports canceled) • Hunting Island Lighthouse Tours (canceled through March 31) • Palmetto Sportsmen’s Classic in Columbia • PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing • SCDNR Youth Fishing Tournament (Postponed/TBA) • USC Beaufort spring sports Community Meetings/ Other Miscellaneous Events The following have been canceled unless otherwise noted by reschedule date: • Beaufort County Democratic Party Convention • Beaufort Digital Corridor (all events until further notice) • Democratic Club-South of the Broad regularly scheduled meetings and precinct organizing meeting (conference call to be held at 10 a.m. on March 21) • Fripp Island Audubon Club (all meetings canceled until further notice) • Greater Bluffton Republican Club’s Republican of the Year Dinner (Reschedule date TBA) Have a cancellation or closing? Please send those to theislandnews@gmail.com. Items are printed where space is available. The deadline for consideration is Friday by 5 p.m. before the next Thursday’s print date.
waterway closures, please contact the Weapons and Field Training Battalion Range Control at 843-228-3170.
County closes Bluffton’s Alljoy Beach
Alljoy Beach in Bluffton will be closed to the public until further notice. Beaufort County encourages the public to continue to heed safety guidelines including social distancing to minimize the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). For additional information regarding County operations and resources related to COVID-19, please visit https://www. beaufortcountysc.gov/topics/coronavirus/.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
Coronavirus roundup: Beaufort Memorial has new visitors’ policy From staff reports What follows is a roundup of notable happenings related to the COVID-19 novel coronavirus outbreak since the last print publication of The Island News.
For information and updates about Beaufort Memorial, visit www.beaufortmemorial.org, call 843-522-5560 for recorded updates and access to staff, or email questions to healthupdates@bmhsc.org.
Beaufort Memorial Hospital adjusts visitor policy
BMH cancels all elective surgeries
All Beaufort Memorial Hospital and outpatient clinic waiting rooms are now closed to visitors. Caregivers will be asked to wait in their cars pending notification that the patient is ready to leave. In addition to travel and symptoms, patient temperatures will be screened at all Beaufort Memorial locations. Several new measures to protect patients, staff and community members had already been implemented: • Hospital visitor hours end at 5 p.m. • Online Check-In for the Emergency Center is suspended. Patients who need emergency care should call 9-1-1 or proceed immediately to the nearest ER. • Beaufort Memorial Express Care & Occupational Health waiting areas will be closed. Patients visiting the Beaufort and Bluffton Express Care locations will be asked to check in at the desk and return to their vehicle to wait to be seen by a provider. No visitors will be allowed into the clinics. • Visitors will not be permitted in the hospital, except under the following specific circumstances: Labor and Delivery – One designated visitor per patient; Pediatric Unit – One designated visitor per patient; Patients requiring assistance and end-of-life care will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Beaufort Memorial Hospital (BMH) has canceled all non-urgent, elective surgeries at its main hospital and outpatient surgery center. The decision was made to protect patients and staff from unnecessary exposure and risk, while conserving beds, supplies and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to care for patients in the hospital.
McMasters takes action
S.C. Governor Henry McMasters issued some executive orders on Saturday, March 21: • – He asked construction contractors and others in the skilled trade industry to donate whatever personal protective equipment they can spare to healthcare professionals and state agencies in the greatest need, including respirator masks commonly used in construction settings. To make donations, contact Mary Louise Resch of Habitat for Humanity for logistical coordination via email at mlresch@habitatsc.org. • He issued Executive Order 202012, which directs the Department of Revenue to waive additional regulations in order to allow restaurants to include sealed containers of beer and wine for curbside pickup or “to-go” orders only. This waiver does not authorize or apply to open containers or delivery services.
• He directed the Department of Revenue to conform the state’s income tax deadline to July 15, which is the new federal income tax deadline. Other state taxes will remain delayed until June 1, as previously ordered.
Beaufort County closes all buildings
All Beaufort County buildings will be closed to the public until further notice to protect the health of citizens, visitors, and employees, and minimize opportunities to spread COVID-19 in the community. Many services by the Assessor, Auditor, Business License, Planning and Zoning, Treasurer, and other County offices are accessible online, by phone, fax, or through the mail. Visit the County website at www.beaufortcountysc.gov and select “Government” for a department listing. All Convenience Centers remain open according to their regular operating schedules for now. Emergency and public safety services remain available as usual.
Hilton Head Island closes beaches
The Town of Hilton Head Island’s public beaches are closed until further notice. All of the town's public beach parking areas, to include restrooms and other public facilities, are closed. This condition will remain in effect for a period of 60 days or unless rescinded sooner, based upon appropriate conditions.
Soft Shell Crab Festival canceled
The Old Village Association, keep-
Together
The race to adapt While Tuesday’s order effectively shuttered restaurants to dine-in service, it did not prohibit takeout, curbside pickup or delivery options. “It is allowed and recommended,” McMaster said at the press conference, adding that “all of that be increased and enhanced wherever possible.” On Tuesday night, as reality began to sink in on what the order meant, restaurant managers and owners across the Lowcountry began scrambling to adapt. By Wednesday, March 18, park-
Taste of Beaufort
The Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce canceled the annual Taste of Beaufort festival scheduled for May 1-2 in Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. “Under the current circumstance of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in compliance with CDC guidelines, we are unable to move forward with plans for this much anticipated event,” the Chamber’s statement read. “The safety and well-being of our guests is of utmost importance, and the uncertainty of our current situation leaves us no choice but to abandon our plans to host the festival.
Croquet fundraiser canceled
AMIkids Beaufort is canceling its annual croquet picnic fundraiser at Brays Island for the first time in 29 years. The event, held the first weekend of May, typically raises more than $100,000 of much-needed funds for the non-profit residential education and treatment program for boys who made bad choices and ended up in the court system.
Highway 21 Drive-in to open, allow outside food
The Highway 21 Drive-In will show
mostly empty restaurant and all were doing their best to practice social distancing. “Hopefully this is only two weeks and then we can bring everyone back,” she said.
from page A1
ing the order was coming, and had told her staff on Tuesday they were “gearing up,” it still didn’t make things any easier when it came. “It’s just, it’s hard,” she said struggling for words. The restaurant has scrambled to adjust to take-out and curbside service. “You don’t know what to expect. You just pray that you have what it takes to push through it and have the faith to get through this time,” she said. Down the street at Hemingway’s Bistro, owner Kanani Robinson said she was at the bar when she heard about the governor's order. One of Beaufort’s most popular bars for locals as well as tourists, Hemingway’s offers a regular lunch service but is known as a happy hour and late-night drink spot. “We were hoping we could do to-go food and take-out boxes and have not more than 10 people out on the patio,” she said. But as she and others would soon learn, the mandate stated no onsite dining service – whether indoors or out. After Robinson realized it wouldn’t be financially feasible to stay open just for to-go orders, she made the hard decision to close the door on a place famous for never closing. After Irma flooded the bar in 2017, a photo taken of a stillopened “Hemis” went viral and was shared countless times after. The photo – which captured the moment paddle boarders literally floated through the bar’s only door as regulars sat on bar stools nursing beers, seemingly oblivious to water lapping just inches below their feet – seemed to resonate for a town not used to folding in the face of adversity. “I still Google that picture,” Robinson said.
ing the safety and well-being of Port Royal’s visitors, vendors, sponsors and volunteers its top priority, made the decision to cancel the Soft Shell Crab Festival scheduled for April 18. Those who sent sponsorship or vendor money will be contacted individually about refunds.
Hearth restaurant manager Madelyn Feeney, cleans up after her three children who normally attend Riverview Charter school. Because of the recent order to close public schools, Feeney is forced to home-school her children at work. Clockwise from right are Haileigh and Emma Feeney. Asleep on the bench is the youngest, Olivia. Photo by Bob Sofaly. ing spaces along Bay Street and adjacent blocks had been marked as designated curbside service spots. Drivers have 10 minutes to park and pickup or can wait in their cars for food to be brought out. At Panini’s on the Waterfront, owner Paul Thompson has been working to get curbside pickup and delivery service going. “We’ve never done this so we’re just trying to get word out,” he said. In addition to the new service, he was trying to keep his 38 employees busy and working. “But it’s very hard to find stuff and justify (that) when income is one-tenth of what it normally is,” he said on Thursday. Employees, he said, were taking the changes and news about the coronavirus hard. “Obviously they are upset,” he said, adding that he’s encouraged his staff to go ahead and start the process of filing for unemployment insurance. However, for those who suddenly found themselves without a job, trying to log on to the state’s unemployment website proved difficult as reports of a slow or crashing system came in from across the state. Dan Ellzey, Executive Director of the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce, said at a press conference on Thursday, the agency had added additional capacity though many were still reporting having trouble with the system as of Monday. Ellzey also said that those who were laid off or impacted by the shut down, would be receiving
unemployment assistance quicker than normal. Checks that normally take two weeks when an applicant first applies for assistance, will now arrive in a week's time, Ellzey said. If it is an employer-filed claim it may take only three days. Still, as a new reality has set in for those trying to adapt to the closings, many more have realized pickup or delivery is not a viable option. At Hearth where Mader was fielding calls for take out Thursday morning, she said it was the only restaurant of the three they could leave open. “We don’t have funds to do the other two,” she said. The owners of Fishcamp on 11th Street in Port Royal also made the decision to shut down through at least March 30, said manager Tonya Murphy, and won’t be offering take-out or delivery. In fact, Fish Camp on Broad Creek and the Old Oyster Factory on Hilton Head, which are also owned by Coastal Restaurants and Bars, have shut down through the end of the month, though the restaurant group has other eateries on Hilton Head that will remain open for take-out and delivery. Murphy said the restaurant was just trying to “wait it out like everyone else” and hopes to bring back the restaurant’s employees as soon as possible. “Our employees are super important to us,” she said, adding that the Port Royal eatery normally has about 50 to 60 employees working. On Thursday, as she worked to finish things before closing, she was one of only six people in the
In limbo Meanwhile, restaurants everywhere like Fishcamp and Hearth have had to lay off or send employees home with instructions to file for unemployment. Between Hearth and the company’s other two restaurants, Mader said they’ve had to send about 150 employees home. “It was the hardest thing I have had to do in my life,” she said. “It’s sad. We’re just going to try and weather this out, but we want them to feel like they have a place to come home to when this is all over.” Down the street at Hemingway’s, Robinson echoed the sentiment saying the Hemingway’s staff are family. Having just celebrated her oneyear anniversary as the bar’s new owner, Robinson had started the first quarter of 2020 on a strong note. “We had a great year,” she said. “Sales were up.” Asked if she was anxious about the future, Robinson said they were all still getting used to being closed. “It’s more of a shock,” she said. “I mean we’re in f—ing limbo.” After talking about small business loans or help from the federal government, Robinson said her biggest worry was if the government would help small businesses like hers. “Or is it just going to be help for the big guys,” she said. In this together Since the governor’s mandate to close dine-in service, members of the community have sounded the rallying call. A Facebook page, Beaufort SC AREA Curbside, To-Go & Delivery, has been created for restaurants and other businesses offering curb-side, to-go or delivery to post their services, menus and delivery specials. The Southeast Entertainment Restaurant Group (SERG) launched a program to help raise funds for their affected employees. VIP Packages can be purchased for $250 each. The packages include a $100 SERG gift card and a Community VIP card that will give cardholders a 25 percent employee discount at any SERG restaurant for up to four people and a 10 percent discount
movies beginning Friday, March 27 through Thursday, April 2 (closed Monday, March 30). Gates will open at 6:30 p.m. Management asks patrons to arrive early on Friday and Saturday nights. The drive-in normally does not allow customers to bring in outside food. At this time, they are permitting those visiting the drive in to bring in snacks and encouraging them to patronize a local restaurant that is now offering curbside pick-up or to go meals. This will be a temporary measure until things get back to normal. In order to do this, management will be asking for a $5 donation per car to help with expenses, which will also be temporary.
YMCA closes
The YMCA will be closed through at least Sunday, April 5. The plan is to reopen Monday, April 6 at 7 a.m. Management will evaluate and determine whether conditions allow them to reopen. This information will be distributed via email, on the website, and through social media.
Beaufort Memorial Hospital
Beaufort Memorial Hospital is now offering free online provider visits “24/7 for patients with symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath,” according to a release issued by the hospital on Thursday. The free video visits are available until further notice to those who qualify, though restrictions may apply. For more information about BMH Care Anywhere visit www.BMHCareAnywhere.org.
at the group’s takeout kitchen with unlimited use from the time of re-opening until March 31, 2021. “One hundred dollars of each sale will go directly to our employees during our forced business closure and will provide up to four weeks of financial support,” said Alan Wolf, SERG President and partner. In addition, $50 of each sale will be split between Bluffton Self Help and Deep Well on Hilton Head Island. The group has set a goal of selling 10,000 of the packages to locals and visitors. “By reaching our goal $1 million will have been raised to directly benefit SERG team members in need of financial assistance and $500,000 will have been raised for the greater Lowcountry food and beverage workforce in grants administered by Bluffton Self Help and Deep Well,” Wolf said in a news release. The City of Beaufort has also moved to lighten the load of business owners by waving all penalties and interest associated with renewing this year’s business licenses and has also waived all interests and penalties associated with hospitality and accommodations taxes for February, March and April. The waivers will run through June 20, according to a news release issued by the city. But the question remains, will it be enough? Asked what the public can do, most everyone responded order dinner. Get takeout. Try curbside pickup. At Hearth, Mader said it was important to continue supporting small businesses. As she and many others said, it’s not charity. Rather, it’s about holding on to businesses many residents and visitors alike have come to know and love, run by people who work and live here. “If you need soap, Natalie (at Bathe) has tons of soaps. If you need a sandwich, go drive through Alvin Ords,” Mader said. “I just want to see everyone come together and support small businesses right now.” On Thursday morning, more than 24 hours after the executive order was signed, Mader was in the restaurant getting ready for her day. “I didn’t know what to expect with the to-go orders,” she said. Then suddenly, several came in at once. “That first little pop I got, that was a nice surprise.” MARCH 26–APRIL 1, 2020
A5
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
Beaufort County School District revises free student meal distribution
Students in Beaufort County Schools who regularly get school breakfast and lunch aren’t having to go without while schools are closed during the coronavirus pandemic. Michelle Ferguson, left, and Jashareon Wells of Sodexo, pack up school lunches consisting of one sandwich, a fruit, pre-packaged vegetables and a carton of milk. Ferguson said they started out by giving out a few more than 200 lunches on Monday. She said by Friday, March 20, they were up to 800 free lunches. Photos by Bob Sofaly.
Staff reports Following an initial week that saw more than 17,000 free student meals distributed county-wide, the Beaufort County School District on Monday, March 23, consolidated breakfast and lunch pickups during the coronavirus-related school shut-down. Now, any child younger than 18 can get two free meals – a breakfast and a lunch – each weekday using a single trip. The free meals can be picked up from 9 a.m. until noon at 12 sites scattered through Beaufort County as well as through a network of 20-minute school bus stops. The revised schedule of bus stops has been posted on the school district’s website (beaufortschools.net) and social media platforms. Parents and students were to be informed about the changes over the weekend through phone calls and e-mails. “This new procedure will make meal pick-ups safer and more convenient,” Superintendent Frank Rodriguez said in a news release. “Parents and students will have to make only one trip per day instead of two, and they also will shorten the amount of time they’re exposed to possible illness.” Working with Sodexo, its food service contractor, the school district began distributing free meals last Monday, the first day of statewide school
SCHOOL MEAL PICK-UP SPOTS Free meals can be picked up from 9 a.m. until noon at 12 sites scattered through Beaufort County as well as through a network of 20-minute school bus stops.
Drive-through pickups • Battery Creek High School • Beaufort High School • Beaufort Middle School • Bluffton High School • Hilton Head Island High School • James J. Davis Early Childhood Center • Okatie Elementary School • Red Cedar Elementary School • St. Helena Elementary School • Whale Branch Early College High School • Whale Branch Middle School • Port Royal YMCA Bus-stop pickups The revised schedule of bus stops has been posted on the school district’s website (beaufortschools.net).
closures ordered by Gov. Henry McMaster because of health concerns related to COVID-19. All schools are currently closed through March 31. During the shutdown, any child age 18 or younger can receive free breakfasts and lunches regardless of meal status during the school year. Meals are prepared and
transported to 12 sites across the county: Battery Creek High, Beaufort High, Beaufort Middle, Bluffton High, Hilton Head Island High, James J. Davis Early Childhood Center, Okatie Elementary, Red Cedar Elementary, St. Helena Elementary, Whale Branch Early College High, Whale Branch Middle School and the Port Royal YMCA. Drive-through meal pickups will now be available in the bus rider drop-offs at each location each weekday from 9 a.m. until noon. Students must be present at the time of pick up, and all food will be “graband-go,” with no food consumed on site. Meal pick-up procedures also are being improved to enhance safety. When picking up meals at one of the 12 distribution sites, parents will be asked how many children are in the car. They will then pull their vehicle forward to a space when they can exit their vehicles and pick up the correct number of meals from a table. The revised procedures are designed to maintain safe physical distances between parents, students, food service workers and bus drivers. Breakfast items vary and may include cereal with milk, fruit, Fruit Frudels, whole grain Pop Tarts, cereal bars, milk and juice. Lunches are sandwiches, fruit, fresh vegetables and milk.
School district gets to do spring cleaning
By Bob Sofaly Beaufort County Schools are taking advantage of the recent school closing to do a “deep clean” on all classrooms, offices and athletic rooms. Everything is being sanitized. The schools adopt a hospital level approach to cleaning classrooms every day. But now, while the students are out, is a good time to really clean everything. Beaufort High School has already started the cleaning – a process that nobody is really sure how long will take, according to Kevin Wagner, regional manager of ABM Industries, the contractor for the cleaning. Wagner said he and his 10 employes “will clean every desk, top to bottom, inside and out” with a heavy duty sanitizer, one that kills bacteria and viruses in one minute. “Then we wipe it all down with industrial strength wipes.” Wagner said when the process is complete, the schools will be the safest buildings in which to be.
Closed from page A1
done a tremendous job in making it possible for our students to learn at home,” the statement read. “We understand that the prospect of schools remaining closed for an extended period of time places stress and strain on parents and children. Rest assured, if there is any way to safely open our schools earlier, we will do that, but schools must remain closed to protect
from page A1 themselves, their families, friends and others. It reminded me of the thousands of students (and others) who, foolishly thinking they are not at risk because of their age, flocked to the beaches until the beaches were forced to be closed and off limits. Unfortunately, because people did not show restraint, we were forced to reach out to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and the Governor’s office seeking enMARCH 26–APRIL 1, 2020
Kevin Wagner of ABM Industries sprays an industrial strength “one-minute” sanitizer on desks and other hard surfaces in classrooms at Beaufort High School. Then he will wipe down the wet surfaces with the powerful wipes seen at right. Photos by Bob Sofaly.
the health and safety of South Carolinians.” Just as his original March 15 order, this order too applies to public universities colleges and technical colleges. The Governor encourages those institutions to continue teaching through virtual learning. S.C. DHEC announce 44 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the state total to 342. In Beaufort County, there are 22 confirmed cases after one more person tested positive Monday. South Carolina’s death toll
Better
A6
Kevin Wagner starts work in a science lab at Beaufort High School on Friday afternoon.
remains at 5. On Monday, McMaster re-affirmed law enforcement’s right and responsibility to “do whatever may be deemed necessary to maintain peace and good order during the State of Emergency.” The Governor reiterated law enforcement officials’ ability to shut down any congregation or gathering of “people, unless authorized or in their homes, in groups of three or more people” that in their discretion, poses, or could pose, a threat to public health.
forcement of the social distancing order. This takes resources from other necessary functions, puts our public safety personnel at risk and requires financial resources more usefully deployed to other pressing needs. I know we can do better. Believe me, the stakes could not be higher. The human suffering could not be higher. The economic consequences to businesses and those they have to lay off and those being laid off could not be higher. The financial stains of limited local and state government and our hard working staff could not be
McMaster’s decision to get tougher on citizens not practicing “social distancing” may have grown out of weekend events in Beaufort County. “This weekend, we saw large crowds gathered on beaches, on sandbars, and in parking lots,” McMaster said in his Monday address. “We are facing a dangerous and deadly enemy and this type of behavior is both irresponsible and selfish. Law enforcement asked for clarification as to how this existing law applies during this state of emergency. I have included it in an ex-
higher. Our individual personal and financial conditions, which are already strained for many Lowcountry residents, are at risk. The risks of medical, public safety, law enforcement, and first responders could not be higher. We have already temporarily lost the service of four first responders in our small city fire department who, due to exposure while transporting a patient, have been quarantined, thereby putting extra strain, and risk of exposure on their co-workers and their families. The fast-traveling virus can only be contained by social distancing.
The foyer of Beaufort High School was empty at about 1 p.m. on Friday.
ecutive order to make it clear that law enforcement has the ability to disperse groups of people who pose a risk to the public's safety and to the safety of others.” Throngs of people were enjoying themselves on the sandbar in the Beaufort River on Saturday, while hundreds were sunning and relaxing on the beach at Hunting Island. “Unfortunately, because people did not show restraint,” City of Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling said in his weekly email newsletter, “we have been forced to reach out
As a community, we know the benefits of working together to find a common good and we do it almost every day to maintain the special place we call home. We must rise to the even greater challenge by thinking and acting beyond immediate gratification. Five cities have mandated lock ins. We don’t want to have to go there, but the behavior of some is forcing this consideration. If we don’t change our behavior, the President and Governor will be forced to require us to do what we know is best and can do without force. Please don’t be misled and think
to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and the Governor’s office seeking enforcement of the social distancing order.” McMaster, upset like Keyserling, responded swiftly. "It does not apply to private businesses nor to responsible South Carolinians continuing to make the best out of this situation,” he said. “And as I said, this is not a shelter-inplace order but another measure aimed at containing the virus by controlling crowds, so that we do not have to shelter in place.”
this is just a problem only for medical professionals. Yes, they can treat those who fall ill. But is our job to stop the pandemic by social distancing. The President and others have referred to this as a war. During a war, in whatever ways we can, we must enlist and pitch in – or else be drafted – to join the fight. I can assure you that staying home is the best way to contribute, to do your part, to win this war. If we all do that, we can starve the virus, suck the oxygen from its existence, and it will starve and die. Billy Keyserling is the mayor of the City of Beaufort.
BUSINESS
Anchoring realities: How to begin framing retirement income expectations
By Fred Gaskin
W
hether you’re planning for retirement, approaching retirement, or already in retirement, two very important questions arise for almost every investor. First, investors ask “how much do I need to save?” and their second question is usually “based on my savings, how much should I expect to be able to spend?” As an advisor, one of my most important functions is to work with investors to set expectations – whether they are around expected returns, their lifestyle in retirement, or the realities of their financial situation. In framing an investor’s practical retirement income expectations, one of the most impactful conversations I have is about something the industry has long called the “four percent rule.”
How the four percent rule works The idea behind the four percent rule is straightforward: withdraw four percent of your nest egg the first year of your retirement, then increase that amount each year by enough to account for inflation. This way, your money will likely last for at least 30 years (assuming you stay invested half in stocks and half in bonds). Although investors and financial planners have used the four percent rule for decades, there’s talk that it may be outdated. With bond yields at historically low levels and equity returns uncertain, some retirement experts now believe that the four percent withdrawal rate is too high and could cause investors to run out of money during their retirement. Instead, they say, investors
should spend less to boost their chances of having enough to see them through their golden years. However, like many things, whether or not the four percent rule still makes good financial sense depends largely on your viewpoint and financial goals. Flexibility is key Rather than adhere rigidly to a four percent withdrawal rate, consider using the rule as a starting point while also staying flexible by taking advantage of new developments as conditions change. Here are three dynamic ways to manage your spending in retirement: 1. Develop a retirement plan and update it regularly. Online retirement calculators can help you determine a sustainable portfolio withdrawal rate based on your specific
situation. Likewise, a professionally created retirement plan can give you an even more detailed analysis. But whether you do the math yourself or work with a pro, review the numbers regularly to ensure you remain on track. 2. Adjust your withdrawals based on the market’s performance or your own personal changes. A static withdrawal rate doesn’t factor in the market’s inevitable ups and downs, or changes that may occur in your health and lifestyle that demand flexible cash flow management. Therefore, you might withdraw a bit less when financial asset prices are down and increase your withdrawals when the markets are on a roll. Or you might skip
making inflation adjustments to your withdrawal rate during those years when your portfolio experiences losses. These types of moves may mean your budget fluctuates each year, but they’ll also help increase the probability that your savings will last throughout your lifetime. 3. Consider an annuity. Annuities are not for everyone — they can be complex and costly — but annuity contracts are one of the only types of financial vehicles that can ensure you have guaranteed income for life. With an ongoing stream of payments coming to you, you can feel more comfortable that you’ll have the income needed to cover essential expenses in retirement — even if you
outlive your investment portfolio. Each investor is different, and one size doesn’t fit all, which is why it’s so important to understand there are a number of ways to set retirement income expectations. Recognizing that your situation may change in retirement, as will the investment environment (for better or worse), and remaining flexible is not only smart, but necessary. If you would like help thinking through your income questions, you can visit a Charles Schwab branch and talk to a financial advisor. Fred Gaskin is the branch leader at the Charles Schwab Independent Branch in Bluffton. He has more than 35 years of experience helping clients achieve their financial goals. Some content provided here has been compiled from previously published articles authored by various parties at Schwab.
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A customer favorite! Enjoy the classic newspaper format in a digital environment. Published every Thursday, the E-Edition is a digital replica of the print newspaper, with all of the same news and advertising content, on your issuu.com/theislandnews computer, tablet or smartphone. Visit www.yourislandnews.com START READING TODAY! and click "Read Latest Issue" in the column to the right. MARCH 26–APRIL 1, 2020
A7
VOICES
Companionship benefits people, pets during COVID-19 shutdown
With everyone sticking close to home, it’s a great time to adopt or foster an animal. Bringing a new pet into your life can ease restlessness and renew a sense of schedule.
By Amy Campanini
W
ith COVID-19 filling everyone’s minds, it seems there’s little room for much else. However, with so much uncertainty right now, I find comfort in being with animals. A soft purr, a paw on my knee and the wag of a tail all bring joy to my heart. As Palmetto Animal League’s President, I get to experience these sweet moments of solace every day, but I know there are so many others out there who might be feeling lonely or stressed right now. It occurs to me that we need the animals right now just as much as they need us. So, to help connect pets and people, we at PAL would like to offer some ways you can help the animals (and maybe they can help you, too). With everyone sticking close to home, it’s a great time to adopt or foster an animal. Bringing a new pet into your life can ease restlessness and renew a sense of schedule. At PAL we are offering
“Open Air Adoptions” including video meet and greets, curbside service and adoption applications via phone. View our adoptable pets online at www.PalmettoAnimalLeague. org and call us at 843-645-1725 to schedule a meeting.
And with resources more limited, the need for fosters also becomes even more critical. PAL is reserving its available resources for the most at-risk animals, including those with urgent medical needs and those in immediate
danger due to space requirements at other shelters. When we can move happy, healthy, awesome animals into foster homes, it opens space for us to rescue other pets in desperate need. So, while you’re spending more
time at home, please consider inviting a shelter pet to join you. Email Sally@PalmettoAnimalLeague.org to learn about becoming a short-term foster. With everyone practicing social distancing, we’ve seen a drop in financial support as well. Funds are more crucial than ever for rescues right now. At PAL we care for about 200 animals and stand ready to rescue others in desperate need. As a private, non-profit, no kill rescue, PAL receives no government funding and donations mean everything. If you can, please consider making a life-saving gift online at www.PalmettoAnimalLeague.org. And finally, if you already
have a pet (or pets) and need medical care, consider a “virtual vet” appointment with PAL Veterinary Physician Dr. Stacy Levin. It’s an opportunity for affordable veterinary care without leaving home. Call the PAL Veterinary Clinic at 843-645-1727 to schedule a virtual appointment. Bringing animals and people together has always been the mission of animal rescuers, and as shelters around the country prepare to operate at critical capacity for an unknown span of time, the power of companionship can be life-changing for both. Amy Campanini is the president of the Palmetto Animal League.
Americans have seen much worse than this I t’s early Thursday, and I’m in my small, gray-painted, bookcase-lined study. My wife and I are reading the Wall Street Journal, listening to NPR, and reading e-mails from friends throughout the country. This morning the news is entirely focused on the Coronavirus and is uniformly dire. (I’m tempted to use the words “existential” and “catastrophic” but these words have pretty much lost their meaning.) When I was an 8-year-old boy, my father, an immunologist, would tell me stories on Saturday mornings in his laboratory. I was there — amongst his pipettes and petri dishes and autoclaves — “streaking” plates of sheep’s blood with sputum retrieved from the throats of febrile soldiers on the wards below. While doing this work my father would talk. My father was particularly fascinated with tuberculosis.
SCOTT GRABER
He would begin by saying they first found evidence of the bacilli in a neolithic burial ground near Heidelberg; then in a mummy dating back to the 21st Egyptian Dynasty; and then in Shakespeare. But the bacilli hit its stride during the Industrial Revolution when workers began living in close, urban proximity. But this disease was no respecter of class or wealth infecting Keats, Shelly and the Bronte sisters. He would also talk about Bubonic Plague arriving in Athens in 430 BC; then in Rome in 242 AD where it killed 5,000 people a day; then in London where more
than 150,000 people died between 1603 and 1665. But in 1943, a microbiologist discovered Streptomycin, this was followed by Aureomycin and a host of antibiotics that essentially took away the fear of infection and massive, uncontrolled, bacterial kill-off. Coronavirus is a plague, but it’s not in the same weight class as Tuberculosis, Smallpox or any plague that once killed their way across Europe. It shouldn’t even be used in the same sentence. But this morning — as I listen to NPR and read the Wall Street Journal — one would think that Bubonic Plague and Tuberculosis are once again running amok in the world. Although we developed Streptomycin, and can now rearrange DNA and engineer vaccines in a matter of 18 months, we don’t have a foolproof way to control the fear or impulsivity when it comes to those who buy
and sell stocks, bonds and commodities. Notwithstanding that China seems to have contained the spread of the Coronavirus, the magical, self-adjusting “market” appears to believe we are on the way to economic collapse. Every day we read, “Stocks sink,” “Stocks plunge as virus fears stir volatility,” “Fed cuts rates amid virus fears.” These incendiary headlines are followed up inside by “Italy closes schools” and “Mistrust hurts Iran’s virus fight” and graphics showing the spread from Wuhan Province to Japan, Thailand, Istanbul and Rome. It’s impossible to read these stories and not believe that we’re dealing with a Bubonic-sized epidemic. There is no question that there is real cause for concern. There is no doubt that there are more infections (in the United States) than have been reported — and that viral death rates will continue
to grow. There is no doubt that those who own stock will feel impoverished (and perhaps stupid) when seeing tomorrow’s Dow Jones Average. And there’s no question that America’s endangered newspapers are having an unexpected, unintended income windfall. And they — American’s news vendors — are going to gather-up their rosebuds while they may. But here’s the thing — this pandemic is going to run its course, and this country is going to recover its collective health and its Wall Street treasure. Yes, we are angry, divided and frightened at the moment but we have seen worse, much worse than this. We have seen Spanish Flu, Polio and Pearl Harbor. We have seen the Great Depression of 1929; the mortgage-bundling boondoggle of 2008; the retreat from the Chosin Reservoir in December 1950. We have seen wild fires devastate California
and ruptured oil wells sully, sicken and slicken the Gulf of Mexico. And we’ve come back, recovered our equilibrium, from each of these events. We are flawed and imperfect — but these disasters always seem to produce a Jonas Salk; a Mary Edwards Walker; a Walter Reed, or a young corpsman who repeatedly rides his bullet-riddled Huey into a fire-fight to save a surrounded platoon. Because this virus is invisible, and the stock market irrational, Coronavirus presents a threat unlike Hugo, Khe Sanh or rising sea levels. But this pathogen will be met with courage, persistence and ingenuity. And then — when it’s beaten — there will be the extraordinary generosity that is part of our DNA. I’m sure of this. Scott Graber is a lawyer, novelist, veteran columnist and longtime resident of Port Royal. Email Scott at cscottgraber@gmail.com.
Teaching a southerner to survive in a blizzard
H
aving spent much of my lifetime in the north, I have had real experience living through a blizzard. Our current situation reminds those of us northerners that the current “social distancing” is almost like being in a blizzard. The first thing that happens just prior to the blizzard is the weatherman says, “Looks like we might have a snow event.” Just this sentence alone means that some shelves at the grocery store are going to be cleaned out. Milk, bread, and toilet paper are the first to go. People scram-
LEE SCOTT
Now what?
highlighting daily life observations
ble for cereal, peanut butter, and macaroni and cheese. These are staples that can be eaten at all three meals. Then comes the announcements for the cancellation of the after-school activities,
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then it is the schools, and before you know it, the roads are closing. When snow is coming down 3 inches an hour, the state police want people at home and safe. Our current situation reminds me a lot of staying at home for a blizzard, but at least now I have electricity and the internet. There have been blizzards in the U.S. that have closed businesses and highways for weeks, with many people without heat. So how do parents, kids and other adults survive a blizzard? They get creative. My mother would let us
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build a fort in the living room with blankets and pillows. That would keep us busy for hours. She would have card games, board games, coloring books and crayons. Then of course, there was the outdoors. We would put on layers of clothes and play out in the snow for hours and then be welcomed in the warm house with hot chocolate. Let’s face it though, the outside playing was more for Mom’s sake, than ours. Nowadays, many of the kids can do video classrooms. Teachers have given the
children several weeks of classroom work or they are doing video teaching. Parents who have the luxury of working out of their homes can have the same hours of work as their children have in virtual school. Then there are video games, movies, television shows and books. And of course, there is still the great outdoors. It is springtime in the south, and the days are getting longer and warmer. This is also a good time to get the family garden going. Outside activities are not completely shut down. The
Spanish Moss Trail is open for hiking and bike riding. And then at the end of the day, Mom can offer the kids some lemonade instead of hot chocolate. As for us, I am getting my spouse focused on the spring cleaning projects; and he cannot wait for this “blizzard” to pass. Lee Scott, a writer and recent retiree, shares her everyday observations about life after career. A former commercial banker responsible for helping her clients to reach their business objectives, Scott now translates those analytical skills to her writings. She lives on St. Helena Island and enjoys boating, traveling and reading.
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THURSDAY’S CARTOON Read with caution; not necessarily the opinions of the editorial staff.
LAST WEEK'S CROSSWORD & SUDOKU SOLUTIONS
THEME: MYSTERIES AND THRILLERS ACROSS 1. Wire danger 6. Part of a circumference 9. Nashville's Keith 13. In a cold manner 14. Prefix for something revived 15. Paralyzing disease 16. Mulled wine 17. Egg cells 18. A do-nothing 19. *"Alphabet Series" detective novels author 21. *"It's close to midnight, and something evil's lurking in ____ ____" 23. Second mo. 24. Fabricca Italiana Automobili Torino 25. Not don'ts 28. Popular Japanese soup 30. *Agatha Christie's famous sleuth 35. Wood sorrels 37. "Through" in text 39. Give sheep a haircut 40. Raise the roof 41. Wall or pedestal support 43. Cogito, ____ sum 44. Drink like a cat, two words 46. Be inclined 47. Commotions 48. Bewitch or beguile
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