As a South Carolinian, I am horrified at the decision made on April 20th. The government is being self-focused and cowardly in choosing to stimulate the economy instead of focusing on what is best for health. This will backfire because people will take advantage of this and go out for luxuries (salons, gyms, stores that provide non-essential goods, etc). Instead of boosting the state's coffers, the focus should be providing better access to economic assistance for those who truly need it and leave the state locked-down. Personally, I don't think the current level of restrictions are enough because PEOPLE ARE STILL DYING!

Some of my major concerns at the moment are that those who believe that it is #toosoon are not being heard. Do we like staying at home all of the time? No. Do we have financial concerns? Of course we do. Some of us are small business owners, others are essential workers who are scared they will lose their job security if they do not feel safe returning to work. There are those who have not been able to get through to unemployment after 5-6 weeks of trying. This is a difficult position to be in. The state does need to address the unemployment situation.

But health needs to be the primary concern. In the days since April 20, I have been disappointed to see that more people have been concerned with luxuries rather than being willing to sacrifice those luxuries for the sake of others. They want to reopen the state, with no precautions, immediately. People are making light of the situation and mocking those who are concerned about their health and the health of others. Some are trying to shut down the voices of those who want the state to reconsider their actions. 

Y’all, this is not right. We are equally citizens of this state and of this country. Our country should be standing united at this time, but instead people are bullying others to remain silent.  This cannot continue.

I am not going to diminish the sanctity of life. This is the ultimate basic right - the right that our forefathers fought for and the right for which generations of immigrants came to these shores. If you have a reliable income, food on the table, a roof over your head and you know where your next meal is coming from, then we should not complain. Everything else is a luxury that we can forego temporarily for the greater good. For those who are having a hard time making ends meet, we need to help them find ways to meet those needs and petition the state to make their unemployment aid more accessible. 

Regarding the health of the citizens of this state, we need to petition and encourage lawmakers to #keepSCclosed. Those who are high-risk need to come into contact with others to get their basic needs met and won't be able to fight the virus if they contract it. There are essential workers who are high-risk and concerned to work because of their health. We need to take a stand and protect the people of South Carolina.

Governor McMaster, I have always been a proud born-and-bred South Carolinian. I am ashamed that money is coming across as being more important than human life. Our lawmakers and you have been elected by the citizens of this state to act wisely in situations such as this. If you care about the life of each and every South Carolinian, you would consider keeping this state closed until we were truly past this virus. Instead, you are caving to the pressure of those whining about a lack of luxury and to pad your pockets. Badly done.

#stopthespread #keepSCclosed #toosoon