Commentary: Governor McMaster’s Negligence Halts State COVID Recovery

By: Mia For SC, Senator Mia McLeod’s campaign team

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) released new guidance that will allow communities with low risk of COVID-19 to lower masking protocols. The agency released a map that color-codes each county in the United States based on their level of COVID risk. 

Senator Mia McLeod, a Democratic candidate for South Carolina Governor, is heartened by the updated CDC guidance, but urges caution.

“When I first heard the news I was excited. I hear from constituents every day. Everyone wants to get back to normal as soon as it’s safe to do so,” McLeod said. “Unfortunately, when I looked at the map, only five South Carolina counties reached the threshold to decrease mask usage.”

Gov. McMaster never issued a statewide mask mandate and boasted about a budget proviso imposed by the Republican-controlled legislature that sent our school-aged children back to their classrooms with no protection from this deadly virus.  McLeod called on the current Governor to support COVID protections during her State of the State response in 2021 (see below).

“Our Governor, Henry McMaster, is directly responsible for our slow recovery from COVID. He touts economic gains, but our people are sick and tired. If we had a Governor who took this virus seriously from the beginning, maybe we’d be in a better place now.  Instead, our state is being left behind again and our citizens are forced to protect themselves while other parts of the country are free to live their lives with lower risk,” McLeod said.

At least 1 in 3 South Carolinians have a disability. Disability policy experts believe COVID-19 will become a mass-disabling event.  Senator McLeod, a woman living with Sickle Cell Anemia empathizes with South Carolinians who are experiencing the impacts of long COVID.

“I have lived with a chronic condition for most of my life. I know the challenges South Carolinians who live with a chronic medical condition face, especially during a global health crisis,”  McLeod said. “We need a Governor who is able to address the needs of our people through policy, with compassion and empathy.  We don’t know the full impacts of long COVID in this moment, but we do know more South Carolinians than ever will need accessible and affordable healthcare. That will be a top priority of my administration.”

Expanding Medicaid and enacting a COVID response plan are among McLeod’s priorities for her first 100 days in office.

“I also recognize that our workplaces may need to change to address the reality of where we are,” McLeod said. “As a leader, I want to foster dialogue between employees and employers to help facilitate  equitable and diverse workplaces that include people with disabilities.”

CDC map, last updated on February 24, 2022. 

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